Today, I am presenting one of my last articles in English explaining grammar points in French that are rarely discussed. After this, I will move on to a different format.
There are now over 50 articles in this section that my members have access to. This is a wealth of information to take your French to the next level!
Il s’agit de ton bonheur!
S’agir
This is a verb that people come across when reading French, which is often confusing because it can translate to “to be.”
Let’s look at a few examples before explaining how it works and how you should use it
De quoi s’agit-il?
What is it about?
Mais il s’agit de ton bonheur!
But where talking about your happiness here! (It’s about your happiness)
On connaît maintenant les gagnants du gros lot de 70 millions. Il s’agit d’un couple de Montréal
We now know the winners of the jackpot of 70 million. It’s a couple from Montreal
D’après les experts, il s’agirait d’une explosion criminelle
According to the experts, it would appear to be a criminal explosion
Il s’agit de faire vite!
We must act quickly!
Nous ne savons pas s'il s’agit d’un crime ou d’un accident
We don’t know if it is a crime or an accident
Ce n’est pas juste une nouvelle recette. Il s’agit en fait d’une nouvelle façon complètement différente de faire une tarte aux pommes
It’s not just a new recipe. It’s in fact a completely new way of making an apple pie
As you can see, all those examples can translate differently, but they usually trace back to a meaning of “turns out to be” or “appears to be.” It refers to something where one needs to know what is going on. In English, it’s often easier to just say “it is.”
How should you use s’agir?
The best way to use this verb is to save it for your writing.
In most cases, it sounds too formal for casual conversation.
Je suis censé aller à sa fête d’anniversaire
Censer
To translate “being supposed to do something,” I would like to encourage you to use a very common verb in French, that is often forgotten by French learners: censer.
The structure is
Être censé + infinitif
Par exemple
On était censés partir hier
We were supposed to leave yesterday
Ce week-end, je suis censé aller à la fête d’anniversaire de mon amie
This weekend I'm supposed to go to my friend's birthday party
Exercise #1 - S’agir
Translate into French using the verb s’agir.
It could be a whale, according to specialists.
For people in the film industry, this is a tragedy.
When it comes to money, he's always right.
This is the largest real estate project in Montreal.
It’s a matter of getting back to work.
Exercise #2 - Censer
Translate the following using the verb censer.
Many people complain that it's too hot in trains that are supposed to be air-conditioned.
It’s not supposed to happen here.
Where are we supposed to go?
I’m supposed to leave tomorrow morning.
We were supposed to arrive yesterday (here: use on).
Answers #1
1) Il pourrait s'agir d’une baleine, d'après les spécialistes.
2) Quand il s'agit d'argent il a toujours raison.
3) Pour les gens de l'industrie du cinéma, il s'agit d'un drame.
4) Il s’agit du plus grand projet immobilier de Montréal.
5) Il s’agit de retourner au travail.
Answers #2
Plusieurs personnes se plaignent qu'il fait trop chaud dans les trains censés être climatisés.
Ce n'est pas censé se passer ici.
Où sommes-nous censés aller ?
Je suis censé partir demain matin.
On était censés arriver hier.