After you've learned the basic uses of être, the next step is learning common expressions and recognizing when English be translates to another French verb. For the core uses, see How to use être. For all tenses, see the conjugation of être.
Common expressions
These are fixed phrases. Learn each one as a whole unit rather than word by word.
être d'accord
Use être d'accord to say that you agree with someone.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je suis d'accord. | I agree. |
| Tu es d'accord ? | Do you agree? |
être en retard / être à l'heure
Use être en retard and être à l'heure to say that someone is late or on time.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je suis en retard. | I am late. |
| Elle est à l'heure. | She is on time. |
Ça y est
Use Ça y est when something is done, ready, or finally happening.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Ça y est, on peut partir. | That's it, we can go. / Ready, we can go. |
| Ça y est ! J'ai trouvé mes clés. | That's it! I found my keys. |
| Ça y est, c'est fini. | That's it, it's finished. |
être en train de
Use être en train de with an infinitive to emphasize that something is happening right now.
être en train de + infinitive
Here are some common examples:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je suis en train de lire. | I am reading (right now). |
| Nous sommes en train de manger. | We are eating (right now). |
That shape is stronger than the plain present je lis, which can mean "I read" or "I am reading."
Common errors
The mistakes below share the same type of error by translating English be straight into être when French uses another verb or another shape.
Using être for age
French uses avoir for age. You "have" the years. You do not "be" them.
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| Je suis 20 ans. | J'ai 20 ans. |
Using être for hunger, thirst, and similar states
Many common physical states use avoir with a noun: faim, soif, froid, chaud, peur.
avoir + noun
Watch for slips like these:
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| Je suis faim. | J'ai faim. |
| Elle est soif. | Elle a soif. |
Forcing il est where French uses c'est
When you introduce or identify someone or something, c'est is usually the natural choice.
Elle est ma sœur can be fine if elle already refers to a person in the conversation. The slip is using il est / elle est to present or identify someone for the first time. A natural pattern is c'est first, then elle in the next sentence:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| C'est Marie. Elle est ma sœur. | This is Marie. She is my sister. |
The following examples demonstrate a common error when c'est should introduce or identify:
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| Il est mon professeur. | C'est mon professeur. |
| Elle est une amie. | C'est une amie. |
Using il est for "there is"
To express existence and presence, French usually starts with il y a, not il est. For more on il y a, see How to use avoir.
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| Il est un problème. | Il y a un problème. |
| Il est beaucoup de monde. | Il y a beaucoup de monde. |
Before you go
Treat the phrases above as whole units, and keep the differences between être and avoir in mind in situations where English expresses be. For the core uses of être, take a look at How to use être. To understand avoir, see How to use avoir.