Introduction to using ça in French
In French, “ça” is an informal or colloquial way to say “this” or “that” and it’s a contraction of the more formal “cela.” It is a pronoun used to refer to something in a casual or everyday conversation. “Ça” is often used when the speaker is pointing to or indicating something without specifying it in detail.
For example, when you want to ask about something you’re not quite sure about:
- “Qu’est-ce que c’est que ça?“
- “What is this/that?”
Or when you want to draw someone’s attention to something:
- “Regarde ça !”
- “Look at this/that!”
Or an informal way to ask about someone’s well-being
- “Ça va ?“
- “How are you?” or “Is everything okay?”
More uses for Ça
To refer to something said earlier (Pronoun for Demonstratives)
“Ça” is often used as a pronoun to refer to something previously mentioned or something that’s understood in the context. It can replace a noun, particularly when the object or concept is known to both the speaker and the listener. For example:
- “J’ai vu le film, et ça m’a beaucoup plu.”
- I saw the movie, and I really liked it.
Here, “ça” refers to the movie. Another example:
- “J’ai fait du shopping aujourd’hui, et j’ai trouvé ça.”
- I went shopping today, and I found this/that.
In this case, “ça” refers to an unspecified item the speaker found during shopping.
Informal Expressions using ça
“ça” is used in a variety of expressions and phrases:
- “Ça marche !”
- (It works!) or (It’s a deal!)
- “Ça y est !”
- (That’s it!) or (There you go!)
- “Ça dépend”
- (It depends)
Ça with question words at the end of a sentence
You can combine ça with a question word like Quand (when), Où (where), qui (who) and pourquoi (why) at the end of a sentence to make it more informal and casual. It doesn’t change the meaning of the sentence but feels like you are more curious
- J’ai mis la balle sous la chaise
- Où ça?
- I put the ball under the chair
- Where?
- Nous avons un rendez-vous vendredi à 21 heures.
- Quand ça?
- We have a date on Friday 9pm
- When?
This does not work in combination with qoui (what) and combien (how many).
How to pronounce ça
The word “ça” is pronounced like “sah” in French. Here’s a simple breakdown of the pronunciation:
- “Ç”: The letter “ç” in French is called a cedilla (cédille in French). It has a soft “s” sound, similar to the “s” in the English word “measure.”
- “a”: The letter “a” is pronounced like the “a” in the English word “father.”
So, when you put it together, “ça” is pronounced “sah.”
More examples with ça
- J’aime ça
- I like that
- Ça, c’est intéressant
- This is interesting
- Ça coûte cher
- That’s expensive
- J’ai trouvé un livre hier soir, et ça m’a tellement captivé que je l’ai lu d’un seul coup
- I found a book last night, and it was so captivating that I read it in one go
- Ça fait longtemps que je n’ai pas vu mes amis, alors je suis vraiment heureux de les retrouver ce week-end
- It’s been a long time since I saw my friends, so I’m really happy to see them this weekend
- Regarde ça ! C’est le coucher de soleil le plus magnifique que j’aie jamais vu
- Look at that! It’s the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen
- Ça, c’est un cadeau pour toi. J’espère que ça te plaira
- This is a gift for you. I hope you’ll like it
- Hier, j’ai entendu un bruit étrange dans le jardin, et quand je suis allé voir, j’ai découvert que ça venait d’un écureuil en train de grignoter des noix
- Yesterday, I heard a strange noise in the garden, and when I went to check, I discovered that it was coming from a squirrel nibbling on nuts