il faut

The Impersonal Construction "Il Faut"

In French, the expression il faut is a very common way to express necessity or obligation. It is "impersonal," meaning the il doesn't refer to a specific person (like "he"), but rather functions like the "it" in "it is raining." It translates roughly to "it is necessary," "one must," or "we need."

1. Il Faut + Infinitive

When you want to express a general obligation or something that someone needs to do without specifying who, you follow il faut with a verb in its base form (infinitive).

• Il faudra venir demain à 18 heures. (It will be necessary to come tomorrow at 6:00 PM.)
• Il faut manger pour vivre. (One must eat to live.)

2. Il Faut + Noun

You can use il faut followed by a noun to indicate that something is needed or required.

• Il faut un permis de conduire. (A driver's license is needed.)
• Il faut du courage. (Courage is necessary.)

3. Il Faut Que + Subjunctive

When the obligation is directed at a specific person or group, we use il faut que followed by a subject and a verb in the subjunctive mood.

• Il faut que tout soit prêt ce soir. (Everything must be ready tonight.)
• Il faut que tu fasses tes devoirs. (You must do your homework.)

Summary Table of Tenses

While il faut is the present tense, it can be conjugated into other tenses while remaining impersonal:

• Present: Il faut (It is necessary)
• Future: Il faudra (It will be necessary)
• Imperfect: Il fallait (It was necessary)