Impersonal Expressions in French

Overview

Impersonal expressions are constructions that use il as a grammatical subject without referring to any specific person or thing. You already know some from earlier levels -- il y a (there is/are) and il faut (one must). At the B1 level, you expand this to a wide range of expressions used to state necessities, opinions, possibilities, and general truths.

These expressions are the backbone of formal and semi-formal French. They allow you to make statements about what is important, necessary, possible, or advisable without pointing at a specific person. This makes them invaluable in academic writing, professional communication, and polite conversation.

Many impersonal expressions trigger the subjunctive in the clause that follows, which connects this topic closely to your subjunctive studies. Others take the indicative or an infinitive, so knowing which mood to use is a key part of mastering them.

How It Works

Common impersonal expressions

Expression	Meaning	Followed by
il faut	one must / it is necessary	que + subjunctive / infinitive
il est important	it is important	de + infinitive / que + subjunctive
il est necessaire	it is necessary	de + infinitive / que + subjunctive
il est possible	it is possible	de + infinitive / que + subjunctive
il est impossible	it is impossible	de + infinitive / que + subjunctive
il vaut mieux	it is better	infinitive / que + subjunctive
il semble	it seems	que + subjunctive
il me semble	it seems to me	que + indicative
il parait	it appears / apparently	que + indicative
il s'agit de	it is about	noun / infinitive
il suffit de	it is enough to	infinitive / que + subjunctive
il est evident	it is obvious	que + indicative
il est certain	it is certain	que + indicative
il est probable	it is probable	que + indicative

Subjunctive vs indicative after impersonal expressions

Subjunctive (doubt, necessity, emotion)	Indicative (certainty, evidence)
il faut que	il est certain que
il est possible que	il est evident que
il est important que	il est probable que
il semble que	il me semble que
il vaut mieux que	il parait que
il est dommage que	il est vrai que

Il est vs c'est

In formal French, il est introduces impersonal expressions. In spoken French, c'est is often used instead:

• Formal: Il est important de comprendre.
• Spoken: C'est important de comprendre.

Examples in Context

French	English	Note
Il est important de comprendre.	It's important to understand.	il est + adj + de + infinitive
Il semble qu'il ait raison.	It seems he's right.	Subjunctive after il semble
Il vaut mieux partir.	It's better to leave.	+ infinitive
Il s'agit d'un probleme grave.	It's about a serious problem.	il s'agit de + noun
Il faut que tu viennes.	You must come.	il faut que + subjunctive
Il est possible qu'il pleuve.	It's possible that it'll rain.	Possibility + subjunctive
Il parait qu'elle demenage.	Apparently she's moving.	il parait que + indicative
Il me semble que c'est vrai.	It seems to me that it's true.	il me semble + indicative
Il est evident qu'il a tort.	It's obvious that he's wrong.	Certainty + indicative
Il suffit de demander.	You just need to ask.	il suffit de + infinitive
Il est dommage que tu partes.	It's a shame you're leaving.	Emotion + subjunctive
Il est temps de partir.	It's time to leave.	il est temps de + infinitive

Common Mistakes

Confusing il semble que and il me semble que

• Subjunctive: Il semble qu'il ait raison. (It seems he's right -- uncertain)
• Indicative: Il me semble qu'il a raison. (It seems to me he's right -- more certain)
• Why: Adding the indirect object pronoun (me, te, lui) makes the expression more personal and certain, shifting it to the indicative.

Using the wrong mood after il est possible vs il est probable

• Subjunctive: Il est possible qu'il vienne. (It's possible he'll come.)
• Indicative: Il est probable qu'il viendra. (It's probable he'll come.)
• Why: Possible expresses doubt (subjunctive), while probable expresses likelihood (indicative).

Confusing il faut and il s'agit de

• Wrong: Il s'agit de venir demain. (when meaning "you must come")
• Right: Il faut venir demain.
• Why: Il s'agit de means "it is about" or "it concerns," not "it is necessary." Use il faut for necessity.

Using il est in place of c'est incorrectly in formal writing

• Formal: Il est important de bien manger.
• Formal (with que): Il est important que vous compreniez.
• Avoid mixing: C'est important que... is acceptable in speech but not in formal writing.

Usage Notes

Some important nuances about impersonal expressions:

• Il faut is the most common way to express necessity in French. It is extremely versatile: Il faut du courage (It takes courage), Il faut que tu partes (You must leave), Il me faut un stylo (I need a pen).
• Il s'agit de is common in academic and professional French for introducing topics: Dans cet article, il s'agit de la pollution. It cannot be made personal (je m'agis does not exist).
• Il parait que is used for hearsay and gossip: Il parait qu'ils divorcent. (Apparently they're getting divorced.) It signals that the speaker has heard this from others.
• The negative of impersonal expressions often triggers the subjunctive even when the affirmative takes the indicative: Il est certain qu'il viendra (indicative) but Il n'est pas certain qu'il vienne (subjunctive).

Practice Tips

1. Pick five impersonal expressions and write two versions of each: one with an infinitive (same subject implied) and one with que + verb (different subject). Example: Il est important de comprendre vs Il est important que tu comprennes.
2. Practice distinguishing subjunctive and indicative triggers by sorting impersonal expressions into two columns. Use the rule of thumb: certainty = indicative, doubt/necessity/emotion = subjunctive.
3. Listen for impersonal expressions in French news and podcasts. They appear very frequently in formal contexts, giving you abundant real-world input.

Related Concepts

• Il y a (there is/are) -- the foundational impersonal expression
• Advanced Impersonal Constructions -- more complex and literary impersonal forms