But inthe examples, “She is a good swimmer” “It is a pretty dress” &”That is the dress I wear to work” all seem specific why use C’est?

Question

I would think it would be il or elle.  they just do not seem to be general things. The dress I wear to work is a specific dress

Accepted Answer

Hi Susan,
If you scroll down the Q&A section at the bottom of this lesson , you will see that there is quite a lot of discourse regarding when to use, c'est and il/elle est-
You cannot say in French - 'Elle est une bonne nageuse' but, 'C'est une bonne nageuse' is the only correct sentence.
It is the same for "It is a pretty dress" you cannot use  Elle here -
"C'est une jolie robe " is the only acceptable answer.
Hope this helps!

Answer

Why can't I say "Elle est une bonne nageuse" if I am talking about "she" (elle)? Is this just a gramatical rule? Thank you

Answer

In the video, the teacher sayed Il/elle est is used for jobs and adjectives, nageuse in this case is an adjective. Why does it is wrong?

Answer

Hi Paola,
You can also say :
Elle est bonne nageuse ( no 'une' which is never possible after - elle est ....
This is why we say :
Elle est prof d'anglais
Il est architecte
elles sont médecins 
etc...