Ce, ceci, cela and ça

Kurz erklärt

Ce, ceci, cela, and ça can point to an idea, a situation, or an unidentified thing without naming it as masculine or feminine. Use ce (or c’ before a vowel sound) mainly as the subject of être. Ceci and cela can stand alone; ceci is relatively formal and often means “this,” while cela is also formal and often means “that.” In everyday speech, ça usually replaces cela and can be used with many verbs.

Bildung

ce + être: c’est, ce sont; standalone: ceci, cela, or the informal ça

Verwendung

• Use c’est before a singular description or identification.
• Use ce sont before a plural identification.
• Use ceci or cela in more formal speech and writing.
• Use ça in everyday conversation to refer to a thing, idea, or situation.

Beispiele

• C’est une bonne idée. — That’s a good idea.
• Ce sont mes clés. — These are my keys.
• Je préfère ceci. — I prefer this.
• Ça marche très bien. — That works very well.

Typischer Fehler

❌ Ça est intéressant.

✅ C’est intéressant.

Before être, use ce or c’, not ça. Ça can be the subject of many other verbs, as in Ça marche.

Merke

Use c’est or ce sont with être. In everyday French, ça is much more common than cela.