Ça : Le Pronom Démonstratif Neutre

B1
grammaire
pronom démonstratif
exercices
Author

Kunal Khurana

Published

May 15, 2025

Understanding “Ça”: The Neutral Demonstrative Pronoun

The pronoun “ça” is an informal, spoken equivalent of “cela” and is widely used in everyday French. It means “this,” “that,” or “it” and refers to something previously mentioned, something obvious from context, or something general. “Ça” is very common in conversation and often replaces “ce” or “cela” in informal speech.

Key uses: - To refer to something just mentioned or obvious:
- Tu as vu ça ? (Did you see that?) - To talk about general situations or feelings:
- Ça va ? (How are you?/Is it going?) - Ça m’énerve. (That annoys me.) - In expressions and idioms:
- Ça marche ! (That works!/OK!) - Ça dépend. (It depends.)


Exercises

1. Complete the sentences with “ça”

  1. ______ va ?
  2. J’aime ______.
  3. ______ ne me plaît pas.
  4. Tu as vu ______ ?
  5. ______ marche !

2. Translate into French using “ça”

  1. That annoys me.
  2. Did you see that?
  3. It works!
  4. I like that.
  5. It depends.

Note

  • “Ça” is informal and mostly used in speech or casual writing.
  • In formal writing, prefer “cela” or “ce.”
  • “Ça” is often used with verbs like “être,” “aller,” “faire,” “aimer,” etc.