it

• Pronom personnel neutre de la troisième personne du singulier, utilisé pour désigner des objets inanimés, des animaux, des concepts abstraits, ou comme sujet formel dans des constructions impersonnelles.

The singular third-person neuter pronoun in Modern English, used to refer to inanimate objects, animals, abstract concepts, or as a dummy subject in impersonal constructions.

1. Third-person neuter pronoun for things, animals, or conceptsA1formal

   Used as the subject or object of a verb to refer to an inanimate object, an animal, a baby of unspecified gender, or an abstract idea that has been mentioned or is clear from context.

   pronom neutre de la troisième personne

   • I bought a new phone. It works perfectly.
   • The cat is sleeping. It looks so peaceful.
   • Where is my book? Have you seen it?
   • The company announced its new policy. It will take effect next month.
   • She loves her job. It makes her happy.

2. Dummy or impersonal 'it' for weather, time, distance, and general situationsA1formal

   Used as a grammatical subject with no specific referent in expressions about weather, time, date, distance, or general circumstances.

   Il impersonnel ou explétif

   • It is raining outside.
   • It's 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
   • It's about ten kilometers to the nearest town.
   • It's getting dark.
   • It seems that he forgot about the meeting.

3. Cleft sentence 'it' for emphasisB2formal

   Used in cleft constructions to emphasize a particular part of the sentence, often in the pattern 'It is/was ... that/who ...'.

   Pronom explétif « il » dans les constructions clivées

   • It was John who called yesterday.
   • It is this book that I was looking for.
   • It wasn't until midnight that they arrived.
   • It is because she studied hard that she passed the exam.
   • It is in Paris where they first met.