🎯 Goal: Learn how to use “Il y a” and “C’est” the right way – and sound natural in real life French!
🤔 Why is this important?
In English, you say:
✅ There is a problem.
✅ There are two cats.
But in French… it’s not that simple!
You need to know when to use “Il y a” and when to use “C’est” – both can mean “there is”, but they’re used differently.
Let’s make it clear.
🔹 1. Use Il y a for “there is / there are”
Il y a = there is or there are
(Good news: it’s the same form for singular and plural!)
✅ Examples:
- Il y a un problème. → There is a problem.
- Il y a deux chats. → There are two cats.
- Il y a du monde. → There are people.
- Il y a une boulangerie ici. → There’s a bakery here.
🧠 Think of “il y a” as the go-to structure when you’re talking about:
- what exists
- what is present somewhere
- what you can find
🔹 2. Use C’est / Ce sont when pointing something out
C’est is used for identifying or introducing something/someone.
It’s like saying “this is” / “that is”.
✅ Examples:
- C’est Marie. → That’s Marie.
- C’est mon livre. → That’s my book.
- Ce sont mes parents. → Those are my parents.
- C’est un bon film. → That’s a good movie.
💡 Use C’est when followed by:
- an article + noun → C’est un ami
- a name or pronoun → C’est elle
- a possessive → C’est mon frère
- an adjective describing a general idea → C’est important
🆚 Side-by-side comparison
| English | French | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| There is a cat | Il y a un chat | Talking about existence |
| That’s a cat | C’est un chat | Identifying the thing |
| There are two problems | Il y a deux problèmes | Something exists |
| Those are big problems | Ce sont de gros problèmes | Pointing out specific problems |
| There is a bakery nearby | Il y a une boulangerie | It exists |
| That’s my favorite bakery | C’est ma boulangerie préférée | Identifying it |
🛠 Bonus tip: use it in real life
Imagine you arrive in a new town:
🔸 Il y a une gare → There’s a train station
🔸 C’est la gare principale → That’s the main station
🧪 Practice time!
Fill in the blanks with “Il y a” or “C’est” / “Ce sont”:
- _ un problème.
- _ mes parents.
- _ une fête ce soir.
- _ mon livre préféré.
- _ deux cafés dans la rue.
✅ Show answers
- Il y a un problème.
- Ce sont mes parents.
- Il y a une fête ce soir.
- C’est mon livre préféré.
- Il y a deux cafés dans la rue.
📌 Recap
| Use Il y a when… | Use C’est / Ce sont when… |
|---|---|
| Talking about existence | Identifying something/someone |
| With places or locations | With names, pronouns, articles |
| Meaning “there is/are” | Meaning “this/that is” or “those are” |
🎓 Want to go further?
Using Il y a and C’est properly is a great first step to natural conversation.
📅 Book your lesson to practice live with a Native French teacher.