Basic evaluation, size, and difficulty | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. C'est très bien.

   This is very good.

   C'est

   this is

   très

   very

   bien

   good; well

   More detail

   C'est is the contraction of ce + est. Ce is a demonstrative pronoun, and est is the present-tense third-person singular form of être (“to be”): être → est. Here, the fixed translation identifies ce as “this,” so C'est means “This is.” The pronoun’s specific referent is supplied by the situation rather than by the word itself. Example: C'est important. — “This is important.” Très is an adverb meaning “very.” It strengthens the description that follows and normally comes before the adjective or adverb it modifies. For example, très simple means “very simple.” Bien means “good” in this utterance, where it evaluates the situation expressed by C'est. In other contexts, bien can also mean “well,” as in Il travaille bien. — “He works well.” Do not automatically replace it with bon: bon is an adjective used directly with a noun, as in un bon livre (“a good book”), while bien is used here as the predicate in C'est bien. Together, C'est + très + bien gives C'est très bien. — “This is very good.” The structure is a demonstrative subject plus être, followed by an intensified evaluation: “This is” + “very good.”

2. Ce n'est pas bien.

   That is not good.

   Ce

   that

   n'est pas

   is not

   bien

   good

   More detail

   Ce is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It functions as the subject of être in the fixed sentence; French also uses the same form in C'est très bien (“This is very good”), where the intended demonstrative meaning is supplied by context. n'est pas expresses negation around être: ne ... pas is the standard French negative pattern. Before the vowel sound in est, ne is written n', giving n'est; est is the present-tense form of être for the third-person singular. The quoted span means “is not” here. In a full pattern, Ce n'est pas + description means “That/This is not + description.” bien means “good” in this expression. Although bien is commonly classified as an adverb, être bien is a standard French way to describe something as good, suitable, or okay in context. Compare the adjective bon in examples such as un bon livre (“a good book”); bien does not take the noun’s gender or number. Together, Ce + n'est pas + bien gives “That is not good.” The demonstrative pronoun identifies the subject, the present form of être links it to the description, and ne ... pas reverses the positive assessment expressed by bien.

3. C'est trop grand.

   This is too big.

   C'est

   this is

   trop

   too

   grand

   big

   More detail

   C'est is the fixed expression ce + est, meaning “this is” here. Ce is a demonstrative pronoun: it points to something without naming it, and est is the third-person singular present form of être (“to be”). The contraction is written c'est before a vowel sound. Example: C'est petit. — “This is small.” trop means “too” and marks an excessive degree: the thing is bigger than is suitable or wanted. It comes before the adjective. This is different from très, which means “very” and intensifies without necessarily expressing excess. Example: C'est trop cher. — “This is too expensive.” grand means “big” or “large” here. It is the masculine singular form of the adjective; the feminine singular form is grande, and plural forms include grands and grandes. The adjective agrees with the noun or referent it describes, although the demonstrative pronoun in this sentence does not itself identify that referent by name. Example: La boîte est grande. — “The box is big.” Together, C'est + trop + grand gives “This is too big.” The pattern C'est trop + adjective is reusable for saying that something has an excessive degree of a property, such as C'est trop petit. — “This is too small.”

4. C'est trop petit.

   This is too small.

   C'est

   This is

   trop

   too

   petit

   small

   More detail

   C’est is the contraction of ce + est (être, “to be”). Here ce is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “this,” and est is the third-person singular present form of être. French commonly uses C’est to identify or describe something: C’est facile. — “It is easy.” trop means “too” here: it marks an excessive degree, so the size is beyond what is suitable. It comes before the adjective. Compare très petit — “very small”: très intensifies the adjective, while trop says that the degree is excessive. petit means “small.” It is the masculine singular form of the adjective; its feminine singular counterpart is petite. Other common forms are petits (masculine plural) and petites (feminine plural). In the fixed pattern c’est + adjective, the adjective is normally expressed in the masculine singular form, as in C’est petit, even when the unspecified thing referred to by ce could be feminine. This form therefore does not establish the gender of the thing being described. Together, C’est trop petit means “This is too small.” The reusable pattern is C’est trop + adjective, used to say that something has an excessive degree of a quality. The supplied translation identifies the thing being described as “this,” without specifying what that thing is.

5. C'est très facile.

   It is very easy.

   C'est

   It is

   très

   very

   facile

   easy

   More detail

   C'est is the contracted form of ce est: ce is the subject pronoun and est is the present-tense form of être (“to be”) for the third-person singular. Before a vowel sound, ce becomes c'. Here, the fixed translation establishes the meaning “it is.” The pronoun’s specific referent is not identified by this sentence alone. très is an adverb meaning “very.” It intensifies the adjective that follows and does not change for gender or number. For example, très difficile means “very difficult.” facile is an adjective meaning “easy.” Its base form is facile; the plural form is faciles, while the singular spelling is the same for masculine and feminine. For example, Une tâche facile means “An easy task.” Its opposite is difficile, “difficult.” Together, C'est + très + facile produces “It is very easy”: the sentence identifies something as easy and strengthens that description with “very.”

6. C'est très difficile.

   It is very difficult.

   C'est

   it is

   très

   very

   difficile

   difficult

   More detail

   C'est is the common contraction of ce and est (être, “to be”). Here it means “it is.” Ce is a demonstrative pronoun; the sentence does not identify a more specific referent. The same form is used in expressions such as C'est important. — “It is important.” Très means “very” and intensifies the adjective that follows it. A reusable pattern is très + adjective, as in très facile — “very easy.” Difficile means “difficult” here and describes the subject through être. Its base form is difficile; it has the same form for masculine and feminine singular, while the plural form is difficiles. For example, La tâche est difficile. means “The task is difficult.” Together, C'est + très + difficile gives “It is very difficult.”