The French Word of the Day is soit, a versatile word meaning “either” and it’s also the third-person singular subjunctive form of être (to be). There are several other usages which we’ll explain in context with clear examples.
Meaning
Pronunciation
Example sentences
Word origin
Related words and lessons
Meaning
Soit has several key uses in French:
- In soit A, soit B, it means “either… or…” to present alternatives.
- It is the third-person singular subjunctive form of être (to be), as in qu’il soit or qu’elle soit.
- In phrases like que ce soit A ou B, it means “whether it be A or B”, expressing possibilities.
- In quoi que ce soit, it means “anything” or “anything at all.”
- In soit que… soit que…, it means “whether A or whether B.”
Pronunciation
Example sentences
In French, soit A, soit B translates to “either…or…”. The personal pronoun on is used to mean “we”.
Soit on part ce matin, soit on part demain, on doit prendre une décision.
Either we leave this morning or we leave tomorrow; we need to make a decision.
In this example, the impersonal expression il faut translates literally to “it’s necessary”.
Il faut qu’il soit plus patient.
He needs to be more patient.
In French, que ce soit A ou B translates to “Whether it be A or B”. Translations for the verb importer à quelqu’un are “to be important to” or “to matter to”.
Que ce soit aujourd’hui ou demain m’importe peu.
Whether it’s today or tomorrow is of little importance to me.
For this next example, quoi que ce soit can translate to “anything”, “anything at all” and “whatever it is”.
Si tu as besoin de quoi que ce soit, appelle-moi !
Call me if you need anything at all!
For this example, soit que…soit que translates to “Whether A or whether B”. In this sentence, tu partes (you leave) is partir (to leave) conjugated in the subjunctive mood.
Soit que tu partes, soit que tu restes, tu es toujours la bienvenue chez moi.
Whether you leave or whether your stay, you are always welcome at my place.
In this next quick phrase, you’ll see that soit is written with an -s. This is the second-person singular (tu) form of être (to be) in the imperative mood, meaning “Be!”.
Sois gentil !
Be nice!
Word origin
In French, soit is the third-person singular subjunctive form of the verb être (to be). In Latin, the third-person singular form of the equivalent verb esse (to be) in the subjunctive is sit. Spanish and Italian equivalents are sea and sia.
Related words and lessons
- Ni…ni – either, or
- être (to be) – conjugation tables
- peu importe – it doesn’t matter
- qu’importe – never mind
- ainsi soit-il – so be it (Amen)
References
