Mission: make your main point stand out
Emphasis. Put the word you want heard at the front of the sentence.
FrenchB2 · Nuance and argumentAbout 8 min: 4 reading, 4 practiceUpdated
- Highlight a word with c'est… qui and c'est… que
- Open with ce qui… c'est… and ce que… c'est…
- Use dislocation: Moi, je…
- Ce film, je l'ai adoré
- Introduce a conclusion with voilà ce que…
- Choose between spoken and written emphasis
Nuance and argument: lesson 4 of 4
- B2 · Nuance and argument
- Mission: disagree without offending 8 min
- Mission: explain the causes and effects of a problem 8 min
- Mission: report news you're not sure about 6 min
- Mission: make your main point stand out 8 min
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Level Level B2 (around the DELF B2 exam). Real French: stressing your main point in a meeting or an interview.
What it is
Your mission: in a meeting, your manager Mme Perrin asks what you think the team's biggest problem is. You have one main point: the lack of time. Make it stand out with at least four different devices. Use vous.
French relies less on voice stress than English does (I WANT the red one) and more on structure: it moves the word to the front and adds a frame around it.
| Frame | Highlights | Example |
|---|---|---|
| c'est… qui | the subject | C'est Marie qui a trouvé. |
| c'est… que | an object, a time, a place | C'est demain que je pars. |
| ce qui…, c'est… | the subject of a clause | Ce qui compte, c'est le temps. |
| ce que…, c'est… | the object of a clause | Ce que je veux, c'est du temps. |
| voilà ce que… | your conclusion | Voilà ce que je pense. |
C'est… qui replaces the subject. The verb agrees with the highlighted word: C'est moi qui ai fait ça (not a); c'est nous qui avons fini.
C'est… que replaces anything else: C'est ce livre que j'ai lu. C'est à Lyon que nous habitons. The preposition stays in front of the highlighted word.
Ce qui / ce que… c'est puts a whole idea up front: Ce qui m'intéresse, c'est le prix. Ce que j'aime, c'est la mer. With dont, use ce dont: Ce dont j'ai besoin, c'est de temps.
Dislocation repeats the highlighted word as a pronoun: Moi, je pense que…; Toi, tu as raison; Ce film, je l'ai adoré. You can also put it at the end: Je l'ai adoré, ce film. (This is spoken, not formal writing.)
Voilà ce que… closes a point: Voilà ce que je voulais dire. Voilà ce qui s'est passé.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
« Ce … me plaît, c'est la simplicité. » Which word fits?
- the thing that pleases is the subject of plaît, so it takes qui
- plaire doesn't take de
Show answer
qui. ce qui + verb, because the thing is the subject.
Why it matters
English leans on the voice to stress a word; French leans more on structure, so your point stands out even in a long answer. In a meeting, an interview or an essay it's the difference between a vague "I think it's time" and a clear « Ce qui nous manque, c'est du temps. » At B2 you are expected to organise an argument, not just state it; the DELF B2 speaking test has two parts, a monologue suivi and an exercice en interaction, and in the writing paper (at least 250 words) a few well-placed cleft sentences make a text read as controlled.
Worked example
The meeting with Mme Perrin:
- Mme Perrin: Quel est, selon vous, le plus gros problème de l'équipe ?
- You: Moi, je pense que c'est le temps. Ce qui nous manque, c'est du temps pour finir les projets.
- Mme Perrin: Pourtant, vous avez de bons outils.
- You: Oui, ces outils, nous les utilisons tous les jours. Mais ce que nous voulons, c'est moins de réunions. C'est le lundi que nous perdons le plus de temps.
- Mme Perrin: Et qui pourrait changer cela ?
- You: C'est vous qui pouvez décider. Voilà ce que je propose: une seule réunion par semaine.
Real French: in conversation, dislocation is constant: Moi, je…, Lui, il…, Ton frère, je le connais. In writing and exams, prefer the cleft frames (c'est… qui, ce que… c'est) and avoid right dislocation (je l'ai adoré, ce film), which reads as spoken style.
Common mistake
Mixing up qui and que: wrong: c'est ce livre qui j'ai lu. Livre is the object of j'ai lu, so c'est ce livre que j'ai lu.
Using the wrong verb form after c'est moi qui: wrong: c'est moi qui a fait. The verb follows moi: c'est moi qui ai fait.
And dropping the pronoun in dislocation: wrong: Moi pense que. Keep the subject pronoun: Moi, je pense que.
More detail: c'est nous qui and c'est eux qui
The agreement is the same with every person: c'est toi qui as raison, c'est nous qui avons commencé, ce sont eux qui ont gagné (formal; c'est eux qui ont gagné is common in speech).
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
Which sentence is correct?
- the verb agrees with moi (first person)
- moi is the subject here, so use qui
Show answer
C'est moi qui ai trouvé l'erreur.. c'est moi qui + first-person verb.
Key terms
- c'est… qui
- it is… who/that (highlights the subject)
- c'est… que
- it is… that (highlights an object, time or place)
- ce qui…, c'est…
- what… is… (subject of a clause)
- ce que…, c'est…
- what… is… (object of a clause)
- la dislocation
- moving a word to the front or end and repeating it as a pronoun
- voilà ce que…
- here is what…
- la mise en relief
- emphasis, highlighting
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 7 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| c'est… qui | it is… who/that (highlights the subject) |
| c'est… que | it is… that (highlights an object, time or place) |
| ce qui…, c'est… | what… is… (subject of a clause) |
| ce que…, c'est… | what… is… (object of a clause) |
| la dislocation | moving a word to the front or end and repeating it as a pronoun |
| voilà ce que… | here is what… |
| la mise en relief | emphasis, highlighting |
Practice
Sort it
Qui or que?
C'est Paul … a gagné.
Paul is the subjectShow answer
Qui. Paul is the subject
C'est ce livre … j'ai lu.
the book is the objectShow answer
Que. the book is the object
C'est demain … je pars.
a time expressionShow answer
Que. a time expression
C'est toi … as raison.
toi is the subjectShow answer
Qui. toi is the subject
C'est à Lyon … nous habitons.
a placeShow answer
Que. a place
C'est nous … avons fini.
nous is the subjectShow answer
Qui. nous is the subject
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
« C'est Marie … a trouvé la solution. »
- Marie is the subject, so qui
- nothing here is introduced by de
Show answer
qui. c'est… qui highlights the subject.
« Ce … je veux, c'est du temps. »
- je is the subject, and the thing wanted is the object, so que
- vouloir doesn't take de
Show answer
que. ce que + subject + verb when the highlighted thing is the object.
« C'est moi qui … trouvé l'erreur. » (avoir)
- the verb agrees with moi, not with the third person
- that goes with tu
Show answer
ai. the verb agrees with moi: j'ai trouvé.
Build the sentence
Build "What I want is a real change." (begin with ce que)
Show answer
Ce que je veux, c'est un vrai changement.. ce que + subject + verb, then c'est + the thing.
Practise speaking
Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.
Mission role-play. You are Mme Perrin, my manager, in a meeting at level B2, and I use vous. Start with « Quel est, selon vous, le plus gros problème de l'équipe ? ». Ask one question at a time (the cause, the solution, who should act, when to start) and wait for my answer. After each of my answers, tell me in English what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again; watch c'est… qui and c'est… que, ce qui… c'est, ce que… c'est, dislocation (Moi, je…; Ce projet, je le…) and voilà ce que…, and the verb agreement after c'est moi qui. I will make up my views. The mission is complete when I have used four different emphasis devices correctly while making one main point: then say « Mission accomplie ! » and give me one tip. Keep every reply under 3 sentences.
Listen too. Listen to native speakers before and after: see the free listening and shadowing links.
Good to know. AI feedback on pronunciation is hit and miss, so check yourself against native recordings. Many assistants turn your speech into text first, so a vowel or liaison you got wrong may be silently “heard” as the right word. Don't share personal details: use a made-up name and town.
New to this? Read Practising speaking with an AI.
In short
- C'est… qui highlights the subject; c'est… que highlights an object, a time or a place.
- With c'est moi / toi / nous qui, the verb agrees with the pronoun: c'est moi qui ai.
- Ce qui… c'est and ce que… c'est open with the idea and finish with the point.
- Dislocation repeats the word as a pronoun: Moi, je…; Ce film, je l'ai adoré.
- Speech loves dislocation; writing prefers the c'est… qui/que and ce qui… c'est frames.
Mastery check
Answer without looking back. Score 80% or more and the lesson is marked done. Your result is kept only in this browser.
Check yourself
Answer in your head first, then open the answer. Nothing is saved.
Highlight Marie in « Marie a trouvé la solution. »
Show answer
C'est Marie qui a trouvé la solution.
Complete: « Ce … j'aime, c'est la mer. »
Show answer
que.
Say "As for me, I think so" with dislocation.
Show answer
Moi, je pense que oui.
Further reading
- TV5MONDE, Apprendre le français, free exercises built on real TV clips.
- RFI, Journal en français facile, a free daily news bulletin: listen for « ce qui… c'est… ».
Finished? Mark it done to fill in your leaf on the French map.