| 16.4.1.3 Anticipation with il |
First of all, you already know that il means he, and this does not change now. However, in cases where a confusion with a person is impossible and the verb être is used, then il can be used for anticipation instead of ce and then it means it.
| ce and il | |
| Is there an adjective after the verb être then ce as well as il can be used, however, ce is even here more common. | |
 |
Il / C' est évident qu' il n' a plus d' argent. |
| It is obvious that he has no money anymore. | |
Please keep in mind that the possiblities of substitution are quite limited.
| Example |
| il cannot be used, if there is the risk of confusion between a person and a context |
| C' est bizarre. <=> This is strange. |
| Il est bizarre. <=> He is strange. |
| il cannot be used for afterwards reference |
| Il ne sait pas ce qu' il veut, c' est sûr. |
| He does not know, what he wants, this is for sure. |
There are some cases, when only ce can be used, even though there is the verb être. This is then the case, when after a noun or an infinitive follows the verb, because here again we would run the risk of a mix-up with a person (however absurd it might sound).
| Examples | |
|
C' est une voiture qui consomme très peu d' essence. NOT: Il est une voiture qui consomme très peu d' essence. This is a car that needs only few gasoline. (NOT: He is a car...) |
|
C' est un phénomène de société, dont on parle beaucoup. NOT: Il est un phénomène de société, dont on parle beaucoup. This is a phenomenon of the society, about which people talk a lot. |
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