Mastering French Impersonal Verbs: Il Faut, Il Pleut, Il Y A, and Beyond

Have you ever wondered why French speakers say « Il pleut » (It rains) or « Il faut étudier » (It is necessary to study), and who exactly this mysterious « il » refers to?

In French grammar, these constructions rely on what linguists call impersonal verbs (les verbes impersonnels). In these sentences, the pronoun « il » does not represent a real person, an object, or an animal. It acts as an empty dummy subject—very similar to the English "it" in "it is raining".

Mastering French impersonal verbs is crucial for achieving natural fluency. In this guide, we will break down the essential verbs, explore their grammar structures, and highlight common pitfalls to avoid.

What Makes a Verb Impersonal in French?

A French verb is considered impersonal when it is conjugated only in the 3rd person singular using the neutral subject pronoun « il ».

There are two main categories:

1. Inherently impersonal verbs: Verbs that only ever exist with the dummy subject il (such as falloir, pleuvoir, neiger).

2. Accidentally impersonal verbs: Regular personal verbs adapted into an impersonal structure to shift perspective or convey general observations (such as sembler, arriver, manquer).

1. Weather Verbs: The Natural Impersonals

Meteorological events are the most obvious example of inherently impersonal verbs. You will never conjugate these with je, tu, or nous:

  • Il pleut (pleuvoir – to rain): Il pleut des cordes ! (It's raining cats and dogs!)
  • Il neige (neiger – to snow): Il neige en hiver. (It snows in winter.)
  • Il gèle (geler – to freeze): Attention, il gèle dehors. (Watch out, it is freezing outside.)
  • Il grêle (grêler – to hail): Il a grêlé pendant dix minutes. (It hailed for ten minutes.)

> Grammar Note: When talking about the weather generally (temperature, sky conditions), French uses the impersonal expression « Il fait » with an adjective: Il fait chaud (It's hot), Il fait beau (The weather is nice).

2. Expressing Obligation and Need with « Il Faut » (Falloir)

The irregular verb falloir is arguably the most common and versatile impersonal verb in the French language. It translates roughly as "must", "to be necessary", or "to need".

Here are the three structural patterns you need to know:

A. Il faut + Infinitive (General Rules)

  • Il faut boire de l'eau. (One must drink water / It is necessary to drink water.)
  • Il faut éteindre son téléphone au cinéma. (You have to turn off your phone at the cinema.)

    • Use this when stating a universal truth or giving advice to anyone in general.

    B. Il faut que + Subjunctive (Targeted Obligation)

  • Il faut que tu viennes. (You have to come.)
  • Il faut que nous fassions une pause. (We need to take a break.)

    • When you want to impose an obligation on a specific subject, add the conjunction que followed by a conjugated verb in the subjunctive mood.

    C. Il faut + Noun (Expressing a Need)

  • Il me faut un nouveau vélo. (I need a new bike.)
  • Il nous faut plus de temps. (We need more time.)

    • You can add an indirect object pronoun (me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur) before faut to express a personal necessity.

    3. The Indispensable « Il Y A » (There is / There are)

Formed using the pronoun il, the adverb y, and the verb avoir, il y a corresponds to both "there is" and "there are" in English. Note that unlike English, the verb remains singular even with plural objects.

  • Present: Il y a une boulangerie près d'ici. (There is a bakery nearby.)
  • Plural: Il y a trois options. (There are three options.)
  • Past (Passé composé): Il y a eu un accident. (There was an accident.)
  • Imperfect: Il y avait beaucoup d'étudiants. (There were many students.)
  • Future: Il y aura un feu d'artifice ce soir. (There will be fireworks tonight.)

    • 4. Personal Verbs in Impersonal Structures

Many standard verbs take on elegant nuances when used impersonally:

  • Il s'agit de (It is about / It concerns):
  • De quoi s'agit-il ? (What is it about?)
  • Il s'agit d'une affaire sérieuse. (It concerns a serious matter.)
  • Il manque (There is missing / lacking):
  • Il manque deux assiettes sur la table. (Two plates are missing on the table.)
  • Il arrive que (It happens that... + Subjunctive):
  • Il arrive qu'il prenne le mauvais train. (It happens that he catches the wrong train.)
  • Il vaut mieux (It is better to... + Infinitive):
  • Il vaut mieux partir tôt pour éviter les bouchons. (It is better to leave early to avoid traffic.)

    • Top Mistakes English Speakers Make

1. Trying to conjugate falloir personally: Never say "Je faux" or "Tu fales". Falloir exists only as il faut, il fallait, il faudra, and il a fallu.

2. Pluralizing il y a: Saying "ils y ont des livres" is grammatically incorrect. Always keep it as il y a des livres.

3. Dropping the dummy pronoun: In spoken English, people often omit subjects colloquially ("Seems good"). In French, dropping il (except in fast, informal speech like faut voir) is incorrect in formal writing.

Conclusion

French impersonal verbs might initially appear counter-intuitive, but they are among the most practical shortcuts in conversational and written French. Start practicing with everyday phrases using il faut and il y a, and observe how quickly your spoken French starts to sound native and polished!