Discover more about impersonal verbs
1 USAGEa In addition to the uses illustrated in the text, falloir may also occur followed by a noun, e.g. Il
faut de l’argent = Money is needed. Used in this way, the verb may be preceded by an indirect
object pronoun, e.g. Il nous faut de l’argent. This is to be contrasted to English usage, which
would undoubtedly be personal here, i.e. ‘We need money’.
b Il y a has a number of idiomatic uses:
- il y a/avait deux ans = two years ago/before
- Combien y a-t-il d’ici à Londres? = How far is it from here to London?
- Qu’est-ce qu’il y a? = What is the matter?
- followed by à + infinitive, or more commonly by de quoi + infinitive.
e.g. Il y a à faire dans le garage = There are things to do in the garage
Il y a de quoi manger dans le frigo = There is plenty to eat in the fridge
Note also the familiar expression Il n’y a pas de quoi = Don’t mention it.
c English speakers must avoid the temptation to use s’agit de with a specific subject. To translate
‘This film/book is about.. .’ you must say Dans ce livre/film ils’agit de.... Such phrases as Ce
film s’agit de are unacceptable. Although usually followed by a noun, it should be noted that il
s’agit de may also be followed by an infinitive, e.g. the idiom il s’agit de faire vite = we must act
quickly; the thing to do is to act quickly.
d The very well known group of verbs used to describe the weather, e.g. Il pleut, Il neige, are
further examples of impersonal verbs. They, like the verbs discussed above, can also be
conjugated in the full range of tenses.
e The weather is also frequently described with an impersonal use of the verb faire + an
adjective or noun.
e.g. Il fait beau, il fait du vent
f Verbs which usually take a specific personal subject, but which are also sometimes used
impersonally, include:arriver, exister, se passer, convenir, manquer,rester,e.g.Il s’est passé quelque
chose d’extraordinaire= Something extraordinary has happened. Notice that in this usage the verb
must, like all other impersonal verbs, remain in the singular, even when followed by a plural noun.
e.g. Il manque deux fourchettes; il existe deux modèles
g The verb être can be used impersonally, in set expressions, e.g. Il est dommage que. For further
examples of such expressions, see Chapter 26.
h The verb être can also be used impersonally as an alternative, usually in formal written French,
to il y a, e.g. Il est des choses que l’on ne comprendra jamais. Fairy stories may begin with Il était
une fois as an alternative to Il y avait une fois.
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