Why Ce and Ça have the same meaning but are different
While both ce and ça involve the concept of “this”, “that” or “it” and look a bit alike, they are used in a different context. As a general rule,
- Ce means something close by often in the proximity of what you are talking about.
- Ça is often something further away not in the immediate vicinity, something abstract or something already mentioned.
To illustrate the difference, here’s a sentence using both:
- Ce restaurant est réputé pour sa cuisine délicieuse, et ça vaut vraiment le détour
- This restaurant is renowned for its delicious cuisine, and it’s definitely worth a visit
How Ce is used
- Function: Ce is a demonstrative adjective used before a noun to indicate “this” or “that” thing. It therefore has to be modified to that noun other than ça which isn’t modified.
- Usage:
- Masculine singular: Ce (For example, Ce livre– This/That book)
- Feminine singular: Cette (For example, Cette chaise– This/That chair)
- Masculine and feminine plural: Ces (For example, Ces hommes – These/Those men, Ces femmes – These/Those women)
- Example Sentences:
- Ce film est intéressant
- This/That film is interesting
- Ces fleurs sont magnifiques
- These/Those flowers are magnificent
Read more about how to use Ce in French
How Ça is used
- Function: Ça is a colloquial abbreviation for cela which means “this” or “that” in a more general sense. It can function as a demonstrative pronoun, which means it is used to refer to something so that you don’t have to repeat the same word over and over.
- Usage: Used more informally in spoken language. Often used as a subject or object pronoun to replace a previously mentioned idea or thing.
- Example Sentences:
- Ça va bien?
- Things are going well. – Informal way to ask “How are you?”)
- J’aime ça !
- (I like that! – Referring to something mentioned earlier.)
- J’adore la cuisine française, ça me rappelle toujours de délicieux moments passés en famille
- I love French cuisine, it always reminds me of delicious moments spent with family
Read more on how to use ça in French
More examples using both Ce and Ça
- Ce musée abrite une collection exceptionnelle d’œuvres d’art, et ça vaut la peine d’y passer quelques heures
- This museum houses an exceptional collection of artworks, and it’s worth spending a few hours there
- J’ai reçu ce cadeau surprise ce matin, et ça m’a vraiment fait plaisir
- I received this surprise gift this morning, and it really made me happy
- Ce nouveau projet au travail demande beaucoup d’efforts, mais ça sera bénéfique pour l’entreprise à long terme
- This new project at work requires a lot of effort, but it will be beneficial for the company in the long run