The impersonal constructions of formal French
CEFR C1
The passé simple: for reading, not speakingRecognising passé simple forms when reading and knowing which infinitive they belong to…Inversion after a fronted adverbInverting the subject after the adverbs that require it, adding the linking -t- where…Cleft sentences: c'est… qui, ce qui… c'estHighlighting an element with c'est… qui, c'est… que and the ce qui / ce que / ce dont…Connectors for formal argumentUsing the connectors that carry a French argumentative text, and telling them apart from…The imperfect subjunctive, for readingRecognising the forms when reading and knowing which spoken tense they match, without…Accents and the cedillaPlacing é, è, ê and ç correctly, and knowing that in French an accent changes the sound…The rule, in three lines
The French of reports and laws opens with impersonal il. Each phrase has its own shape: il convient de + infinitive, but il convient que + subjunctive; il s'avère que + indicative, because it states a fact; il s'agit de, which never takes another subject.
The usual slip. Mixing the two: «il convient que signer». With de comes an infinitive, with que a subjunctive.
Why it catches you out. English avoids impersonal openings and looks for a real subject: you should sign. French formal writing does the opposite, so every sentence you translate has to be rebuilt outwards from the il.