French Indefinite Demonstrative Pronouns - Ce, Ceci, Cela, Ça

Pronoms démonstratifs indéfinis

Demonstrative pronouns refer to a previously-mentioned noun in a sentence. There are two kinds of demonstrative pronouns:

1. Variable demonstrative pronouns (celui, celle, ceux, celles) which agree with their antecedent.
     
2. Indefinite (aka neuter or invariable) demonstrative pronouns which do not have a specific antecedent and thus do not have different forms for gender and number. Indefinite demonstrative pronouns can refer to something abstract, like an idea or a situation, or to something indicated but unnamed.

There are four indefinite demonstrative pronouns:

Simple pronoun
	ce	this, it
Compound pronouns
	ceci (ce + ici)	this (this + here)
	cela (ce + là)	that (this + there)
Informal pronoun
	ça	informal contraction of cela

Using indefinite demonstrative pronouns

I. Ce

A. Ce is used mainly with the verb être, either in the basic expression c'est or in various impersonal expressions. Ce may also be followed by pouvoir or devoir + être.

C'est une bonne idée !	That's a good idea!
C'est difficile à faire.	It's hard to do.
C'est triste de perdre un ami.	It's sad to lose a friend.
Étudier, c'est important.	Studying is important.
Ce doit être un bon restaurant.	This must be a good restaurant.

B. In a less common and more formal usage (especially in written French), ce can be used without a verb:

J'ai travaillé en Espagne, et ce en tant que bénévole.	I worked in Spain (and this) as a volunteer.
Elle l'a tué, et pour ce elle est condamnée.	She killed him, and therefore/for this she is condemned.

II. Ceci, Cela

With all other verbs as well as with être preceded by an object pronoun, ceci or cela replaces ce. However, ceci is rare in spoken French. Just as là commonly replaces ici in spoken French (Je suis là - I'm here), speakers tend to use cela to mean either this or that. Ceci only really comes into play when one wants to really distinguish between this and that.

Donnez-lui cela de ma part.	Give him this from me
Qui a fait cela ?	Who did this?
Cela me fait plaisir.	That makes me happy.
Qu'est-ce que c'est que cela ?	What is that?
Je ne veux pas ceci, je veux cela.	I don't want this, I want that.

III. Ça

In informal French, the informal pronoun ça replaces cela (and ceci).

Donne-lui ça de ma part.	Give him this from me
Qui a fait ça ?	Who did this?
Ça me fait plaisir.	That makes me happy.
Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça ?	What is that?
Je ne veux pas ceci (or ça), je veux ça.	I don't want this, I want that.

  

Variable demonstrative pronouns     More French Pronouns Indefinite French     C'est     Contractions

   

  

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