Ils and elles
Ils refers to more than one male or to a combined group of males and females, despite the number of each gender present. Elles refers only to a group of females.
- Anne et Luc partent. (Ann and Luke leave.) Ils partent. (They leave.)
- Anne et Marie partent. (Ann and Marie leave.) Elles partent. (They leave.)
Ce
The pronoun ce (it, he, she, this, that, these, those), spelled c' before a vowel, is most frequently used with the verb être (to be): c'est (it is) or ce sont (they are). Ce replaces il, elle, ils, and elles as the subject of the sentence in the following constructions:
Before a modified noun: C'est un bon avocat. (He's a good lawyer.)
But, when unmodified, the following is correct: Il est avocat. (He's a lawyer.)
- Before a name: C'est Jean. (It's John.)
- Before a pronoun: C'est moi. (It is me.)
- Before a superlative: C'est le plus grand. (It's the biggest.)
- In dates: C'est le dix mars.(It's March 10th.)
- Before a masculine singular adjective that refers to a previously mentioned idea or action: Il est important. (He is important.) C'est évident. (That's obvious).
- Before an adjective + à + infinitive (the form of any verb before it is conjugated): C'est bon à savoir. (That's good to know.)
Use il in the following constructions:
- To express the hour of the day: Il est deux heures. (It's 2 o'clock.)
- With an adjective + de + infinitive: Il est bon de manger. (It's good to eat.)
- With an adjective before que: Il est important que je travaille. (It is important that I work.)