Language/French/Grammar/Use-of-ce,-cela,-ça-as-neutral-pronouns

Use of ce, cela, ça as neutral pronouns

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When the pronouns "ce," "cela," and "ça" are used as neutral pronouns, they typically refer to events, actions, states, or general classes of people or things. "Ce" is often used with the verb "être" (to be) and refers to a specific event or situation. For example:

• "Vous viendrez dîner ce soir. C'est prévu." (Come to dinner this evening. It's all taken care of.) In this sentence, "ce" refers to the event of coming to dinner.
• "L'élection d'un nouveau président aura lieu en mars. Ce sera l'occasion pour le pays de s'exprimer." (The election of a new president takes place in March. The country will be able to have its say.) In this sentence, "ce" refers to the specific event of the election of a president.
• "L'extérieur, ce n'est rien. Il faudrait voir l'intérieur." (The outside is nothing. You should see the inside.) In this sentence, "ce" refers to the state of the outside.

On the other hand, "cela" and "ça" are used with other verbs and refer to a more general idea or situation. "Cela" is typically used in written French, while "ça" is more commonly used in spoken French. For example:

• "Partez à l'étranger. Cela vous fera du bien." (Travel abroad. It will do you good.) In this sentence, "cela" refers to the general idea of traveling abroad.
• "Ils y sont allés un peu fort. Cela risque de faire du bruit." (They went a bit far. It is likely to cause a stir.) In this sentence, "cela" refers to the general idea of having gone too far.
• "J'essayais pas d'être premier. Ça m'intéressait pas." (I wasn't trying to come first. It didn't interest me.) In this sentence, "ça" refers to the general idea of coming first.

It's worth noting that "il" cannot usually be used to refer to events, actions, states, or general classes. Additionally, "cela" is often used in written French, or for emphasizing the subject in spoken French, while "ça" is widely used as the unstressed subject in spoken French.

Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: Possessive determiners, Omission of the article, Adjectives used as adverbs & Marked use of tu.

Other Lessons

• ensuite VS puis
• Adverbs ending in —ment derived from nouns
• Pronouns referring to groups of mixed gender
• Subject verb agreement — Verb agreement with collective noun subjects
• The irregular verb avoir
• Coordination of subject pronouns
• Sentence modifying adverbs
• Use of the definite article with superlatives
• Agreement of the past participle with the subject of “être”
• Stressed pronouns standing alone
• Verb agreement with fractions
• Ambiguity of reference of lui and leur
• Use of the definite article with names of countries, regions, départements
• Agreement of the past participle having the auxiliary "être" in compound tenses
• Use of y in constructions where à does not introduce an indirect object