A2BeginnerVerbs · Point 13 / 40
Il faut + infinitif, Il faut + nom, Il ne faut pas + infinitif
“Il faut” means “it is necessary”.
| Structure | Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Il faut | + infinitif | a general obligation. |
| Il faut | + nom | something that is needed. |
| Il ne faut pas | + infinitif | a prohibition or a bad idea. |
The “il” refers to nobody in particular: the sentence applies to everyone. In the negative, “il ne faut pas” means “you must not” or “it is a bad idea”.
Examples from our dialogues 4 · 4 with audio
- Listen
Il faut lire le chapitre 4 et répondre aux questions.
You need to read chapter 4 and answer the questions.
Check The Full DialogueTalking to a professor
- Listen
Est-ce qu'il faut s'inscrire ?
Do we need to sign up?
Check The Full DialogueDiscovering the library's activities
- Listen
Oui, mais il faut réserver vite, ça se remplit.
Yes, but we need to book fast, it sells out.
Check The Full DialogueGoing to a concert
- Listen
Bien sûr, prenez votre temps. Vous avez le droit. Il ne faut jamais signer sous pression.
Of course, take your time. It's your right. You should never sign under pressure.
Check The Full DialogueViewing an apartment to rent
Common mistakes
Il faut que vous apportez une pièce d’identité.Il faut apporter une pièce d’identité.
Keep it simple: “il faut” + infinitive. “Il faut que…” exists, but it needs the subjunctive (“que vous apportiez”), which comes later.
Practise speaking
Éducation et vie scolaireEducation and school life
School, university, parent-teacher meetings — the French of school life.
These dialogues use this point. They open on the dialogue page (audio, vocabulary to save).