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Mise en relief: building focus in French

CEFR C1

What you will learn

  • Choose qui or que according to the focused element’s function and retain its preposition.
  • Build and analyse pseudo-clefts with ce qui, ce que and ce dont while preserving agreement.

The idea

Mise en relief turns one constituent into explicit focus. French can also use intonation, dislocation and other marked orders, but cleft constructions state precisely which element is contrasted.

To focus the subject, use c’est + focused element + qui: C’est la directrice qui a signé. Qui is the subject of the following verb. If another constituent is focused, use c’est + focus + que: C’est ce dossier que la directrice a signé; C’est à Bruxelles que la réunion aura lieu.

A preposition required by the relationship does not disappear. French says C’est de ce problème que nous parlons, C’est avec Léa qu’il travaille and C’est pour cette raison qu’elle refuse. Que introduces the clause, but the preposition stays with the focused phrase.

Pseudo-clefts begin with a variable and reveal the focus afterwards: Ce qui m’intéresse, c’est la méthode; Ce que nous contestons, c’est le calendrier; Ce dont le rapport manque, c’est d’exemples précis. The choice depends on the role inside the first clause: subject, direct object or a complement introduced by de.

A verb can be focused through a pseudo-cleft, though not through the short frame: Ce qu’il faut faire, c’est vérifier les données. A nominalised action or a whole proposition may also be focused. The useful question is therefore not “can a verb be highlighted?” but “which architecture does this focus require?”.

Dislocation is another common strategy: Ce livre, je l’ai déjà lu; Moi, je préfère attendre. A pronoun resumes the separated element. In c’est moi qui ai raison, c’est toi qui as raison, c’est nous qui avons raison and c’est vous qui avez raison, the verb agrees with the focused person.

Focus paradigm

FocusFrameExample
sujetc’est X qui + verbeC’est Nora qui répond.
autre constituantc’est X que + propositionC’est demain que nous partons.
sujet-variablece qui + verbe, c’est XCe qui change, c’est le délai.
COD-variablece que + sujet + verbe, c’est XCe que je cherche, c’est une preuve.
complément en dece dont + sujet + verbe, c’est XCe dont il parle, c’est du budget.

The preposition belongs to the focus and is retained: c’est avec elle que…, c’est de cela que…

How it sounds

  • Ce dont nous avons besoin, c’est d’une analyse indépendante.The variable depends on avoir besoin de. The first part therefore uses ce dont. The revealed information keeps de before the noun phrase.
Three grammatical routes focus a different piece: one spotlights it as subject, one keeps a preceding link and one opens a box to reveal its content.
The frame changes with the focus function; the preposition remains visible.

Your turn

Two or three, to check that the bit above landed.

  1. Use this image

    C’est la responsable ___ a validé le budget.

    qui — La responsable is the subject of a validé, so subject focus is linked with qui.

  2. Use this image

    C’est de cette hypothèse ___ les chercheurs discutent.

    que — The preposition de is already part of the focused phrase; because that phrase is not the verb’s subject, the short frame uses que.

  3. Use this image

    Ce ___ le projet manque, c’est d’un calendrier réaliste.

    dont — Manquer de introduces the variable with de; the pseudo-cleft requires ce dont, and the revealed part keeps d’un.

When it doesn't hold

What breaks the rule, said out loud. Hiding it is what makes you feel cheated in the exam.

  • CleftC’est Lina qui répond.
  • DislocationLina, elle répondra demain.
  • Pseudo-cleftCe qui compte, c’est la précision.

What your own language pushes you to say

Wrong C’est de ce problème dont nous parlons.

Right C’est de ce problème que nous parlons.

In the short frame, the focused phrase already contains de; the clause is introduced by que, not dont.

Curriculum alignment and sources

Once it makes sense

Practise this: Cleft sentences: c'est… qui, ce qui… c'estThe passé simple: recognising the written narrative pastArgument connectors: guiding the reasoning