Language/French/Grammar/Comparing-neutral-ce,-cela,-ça-with-personal-il-ils-and-elle-elles
il/ils and elle/elles refer to people and things (both concrete and abstract), ce, cela, ça refer to events, actions, states or general classes of phenomena.
Compare:
- C'est bon, le vin
Wine is good
(refers to wine in general)
- Il est bon, le vin
The wine is good
(refers to a specific example of wine)
- C'est lourd, cette valise
This suitcase is heavy
(implies that it is heavy to carry)
- Elle est lourde, cette valise
This suitcase is heavy
(refers to the object itself)
- J'adore m'occuper des enfants. C'est si câlin à cet âge-là
I love looking after children. They're so cuddly when they're that age (ce referring to small children in general)
- J'adore m'occuper de tes enfants. Ils sont si câlins
I love looking after your children. They're so cuddly (referring to specific small children)
In informal spoken French many speakers use ça where il/ils, elle/elles are used in more formal spoken and written French:
- J'ai astiqué mes casseroles. Regardez comme ça brille!
I gave my pans a scrub. Look how shiny they are!
- Les pintades, ça couche souvent dehors
Guinea-fowl often sleep outside
- Tu sais, ces gens-là, ça boit
You know, those people, they like their drink
NB: Because this usage is regarded as a feature of informal spoken French, the foreign learner should avoid using it in the written language.
Related Lessons
- Differences in the use of numbers in French and English mille milliers milliards
- Indefinite and negative noun phrases with adjective complements
- “être” and “avoir” with verbs used intransitively and transitively
- Masculine and feminine forms of adjectives — A change from a nasal vowel to an oral vowel
- Use of ce, cela, ça as neutral pronouns
- Easy future
- Subject verb agreement — Verb agreement with collective noun subjects
- Pronominal verbs used as passives
- French Ditransitive verbs
- Compound adjectives involving demi—, nu— and mi—
- Grammatical and real number
- Use of on
- Adverbs
- Marked use of tu
- Adverbs ending in —amment and —eminent derived from adjectives ending in —ant or —ent