French language Q&A Forum

I was a little confused, as it suggested using the simple past tense, but also uses the past historic...something I need to make sure I understand in terms of the context!

Is the ¨s¨ always pronounced in this usage (i.e. ¨plus que¨, ¨plus ... que¨), or are there some conditions for when it is and is not pronounced (i.e. ¨plu que¨)? 

(This may be covered in another lesson, but might be a useful tip for this lesson)

Could anyone please tell me if there are any rules on if and when you can/cannot replace inanimate nouns with subject pronouns? I read the lesson c'est versus il est/elle est and thought you use c'est with nouns while il/elle est is used with adjectives. 

But I have encountered situations where the writer/speaker uses il/elle est with a noun.

For example, if you are referring to (or pointing at) "une lettre", can you say "Elle est une lettre"? Or can you only say "C'est une lettre."?

Or, if you are referring to "une conversation", can you say "Elle va bien" or can you only say "Ça va bien."? 

Thank you for any clarification. 

I'm learning a piece of music by the composer Georges Hüe.  How is this last name pronounced?  From the description I saw on https://www.lawlessfrench.com/pronunciation/dieresis/ I am guessing that the "H" is silent, the "ü" is pronounced as a standard "u," and the "e" is voiced instead of silent.  Is that correct?  (If someone knows IPA, then perhaps that would be a good way to answer?)

What to do if there is only a noun and not a pronoun.

In the sentence "Bien qu'il ne reste qu'une petite partie du pont aujourd'hui, elle offre encore une vue spectaculaire sur le Rhône et la ville." it seems le pont is masculine but in the second clause is is referred to as elle. Should this be il or am I missing something?