To FRENCH language experts, when do you use "IL EST" instead of "C'EST" when refering to a thing not a person?

Answer 1

C'est un grand appartement=it's a big flat
Comment est cet appartement? (How is that flat?). Il est grand. (it's big).

Qu'est-ce que tu penses de ce pull gris? (What do you think about this grey pull-over?)
Il est moche.(it's ugly)

Qu'est-ce que tu penses des pull-overs gris?
C'est moche. (it's ugly)

Il is used as a defined personal pronoun (the same way as you use "he" or "she" for people in English, we do the same thing for things in French). Ce (c') is used as a neutral pronoun.

So, you use "il" if you really want to talk especially about THIS thing.

This pull-over : it's ugly
Ce pull-over : Il est moche

And you use ce(c') to talk about it in general
grey pull-over : it's ugly
Les pull-over gris : c'est moche.

In a sentence as "It's an ugly pull-over", we always use "c'est" for things such as people, because it's a demonstrative structure.

"C'est un pull-over moche"; "C'est une jolie fille" (it's a pretty girl), but "Il est moche" (it's ugly); "Elle est jolie" (she's pretty).

We can't say, as in English, "She's a pretty girl", we always say "it's a pretty girl" (C'est une jolie fille) and it works all the same with things. There are no grammatical differences to talk about things or people in French : the thing is a masculine word? Talk about it as if it was a boy. It's a feminine word? Talk about it as if it was a girl.

Just pay attention. C'est beau/c'est moche/c'est grand....(it's beautiful, ugly, big) for example, can not be used for people.

Answer 2

When I am referring to someone I wold say "IL est tres intelligent"=
He is very intelligent.
When I want to say: It is time to cut the grass I would say : C'est le temp our tond le gazon.

Those are two examples of the way we use the language.

Answer 3

" il est" is more suitable for a person and is present time
"C'est" is more for an object (thing) and is also present time