I just wondered if we have to use C'était un bâtarde rather then il était because Pip was not a human being
why c'était , because the dog is not a human being?
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chiara b.Kwiziq community member
why c'était , because the dog is not a human being?
This question relates to:French writing exercise "A family of dog lovers"
Asked 3 months ago
Chiara,
No, it has nothing to do with dog or human.
The grammar here is that ‘ il/elle est… ‘ are almost never ( uncommon exceptions ) followed by a determiner-noun structure. C’est is (almost) always used when the following is determiner-noun - “ un batard “ in this example.
See the links below for further discussion.
"C'est" vs "Il/Elle est" to say it is/she is/he is in French
https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/cest-vs-il-est/
Chris W. Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
As a good rule: when the verb is être, use ce.
Tu connais cet homme? -- Oui, c'est mon oncle. -- Do you know that man? -- Yes, he is my uncle.
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