What is the difference between cela and ça?

None in meaning: ça is the contracted spoken form of cela. Conversation uses ça almost all the time (ça va, ça m'énerve), while formal writing prefers cela (cela suppose que…). Both are invariable and interchangeable in grammar.

When do I use ce instead of cela?

Only as the subject of être, where it usually elides: c'est vrai, ce sont mes clés, ce serait dommage. With any other verb you need cela or ça, which is why French says cela dépend rather than ce dépend.

What is the difference between ceci and cela?

Ceci points forwards to what you are about to say, cela backwards to what has been said: retenez ceci, la réunion est annulée ; cela change tout. Outside that contrast, ceci is formal and cela does most of the work.

Is ça rude in French?

Not in itself. It is simply informal, and it is what everyone says in conversation. It can sound dismissive when applied to people — les gens, ça parle trop — so with a person it is worth choosing your tone carefully.

How do I say that depends in French?

Cela dépend, or ça dépend in speech. To add what it depends on, use de: ça dépend du temps, ça dépend de toi. With a clause, use si: ça dépend si tu es libre.

French grammar · Intermediate

Cela, Ceci, Ça and Ce: French Indefinite Demonstrative Pronouns

Written by Camille Laurent, Lead French Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Ce, ceci, cela and ça are the demonstrative pronouns that point at something without naming it: a situation, an idea, an object you can gesture at. Because they refer to nothing with a gender, they never change form — and the only real decision left is which register you want, since ça is spoken and cela is written.

Cela ne m'étonne pas du tout.

That doesn't surprise me in the least.

What it is

French usually forces you to know the gender of what you are talking about. These four pronouns are the escape hatch: they refer to something unnamed — a whole clause, an event, a vague this — and so they carry no gender or number at all. One form does every job.

Il est parti sans rien dire. Cela m'a beaucoup surpris. — He left without a word. That surprised me a lot.

How to spot it

Ask what the pronoun refers to. If it is a specific noun you could name, you want celui or celle. If it is a situation, an idea or something you are simply pointing at, you want ce, ceci, cela or ça.

C'est intéressant. — That's interesting.
Ça m'énerve. — That annoys me.
Cela dépend du temps. — That depends on the weather.
Retiens bien ceci : il n'aime pas attendre. — Remember this: he doesn't like waiting.

Ce only appears in front of être and a few set phrases. Everywhere else — as a subject with another verb, or as an object — you need cela or ça.

Indefinite Demonstrative Pronouns Quick Reference

Which form goes where

Form	Register and role	Example
ce (c')	subject of être only	C'est vrai. — That's true.
ça	spoken, all positions	Ça suffit. — That's enough.
cela	written or formal, all positions	Cela m'inquiète. — That worries me.
ceci	this, pointing forwards	Écoutez ceci. — Listen to this.
cela (contrast)	that, pointing backwards	Ceci est à moi, cela est à toi.
ce que / ce qui	before a relative clause	Ce que tu dis est faux.

Common Indefinite Demonstrative Pronouns Examples in French

The four forms in the contexts that suit them:

Ce Before Être

C'est une bonne idée.: That's a good idea.
Ce sont mes voisins.: Those are my neighbours.
Ce n'était pas facile.: It wasn't easy.
Ce doit être une erreur.: It must be a mistake.

Ce is the only one of the four that can sit in front of être, and it elides to c' whenever the vowel follows.

Ça in Speech

Ça ne se fait pas.: That's not done.
Ça t'intéresse ?: Does that interest you?
Je n'aime pas ça.: I don't like that.
Avec ça, tout devient plus simple.: With that, everything gets easier.

Ça is the default in conversation, including as the object of a verb or after a preposition, where ce is impossible.

Cela in Writing

Cela suppose une préparation sérieuse.: That presupposes serious preparation.
Nous en tiendrons compte, cela va sans dire.: We'll take that into account, needless to say.
Tout cela reste à démontrer.: All of that remains to be proved.
Cela fait deux ans que j'attends.: I've been waiting for two years.

Cela fait … que is the standard written way to express duration, and it stays cela even in fairly relaxed prose.

Ceci Against Cela

Ceci est un exemple, cela en est un autre.: This is one example, that's another.
Notez bien ceci : la date a changé.: Note this carefully: the date has changed.
Cela dit, je comprends ton point de vue.: That said, I understand your point of view.
Tout ceci n'a aucune importance.: None of this matters at all.

Ceci announces what is coming, cela refers to what has already been said. Outside that contrast, ceci is fairly rare.

How These Pronouns Behave

They are invariable, they distribute themselves by register and by position, and one of them is restricted to a single verb.

They Have No Gender and No Plural

Cela, ceci and ça refer to something that has not been given a gender, so there is nothing for them to agree with. There is no *celas and no feminine form, and an adjective after them stays masculine singular: ça, c'est clair.

Tout cela est compliqué.

All of that is complicated.

One form, always masculine singular.

Ce Belongs to Être

Ce is the subject of être and almost nothing else. With any other verb, French switches to cela or ça: ça marche, cela dépend. The apparent exceptions — ce doit être, ce peut être — still have être underneath.

Ça ne marche pas, mais c'est réparable.

It doesn't work, but it can be fixed.

être → ce, every other verb → ça.

Ça and Cela Are the Same Word in Two Registers

Ça is the reduced spoken form of cela; they are interchangeable in meaning. Speech uses ça almost exclusively, formal writing prefers cela, and journalism sits between the two.

Cela m'est égal. — Ça m'est égal.

It's all the same to me. (written — spoken)

Say ça, write cela.

Ceci Points Forwards, Cela Points Backwards

When both appear in the same passage, ceci introduces what is about to be said and cela refers back to what already has been. Used alone, ceci sounds noticeably formal and cela is the safer choice.

Retenez ceci : rien n'est décidé. Cela vaut pour tout le monde.

Remember this: nothing is decided. That applies to everyone.

ceci = the next thing, cela = the last thing.

Ce Also Supports a Relative Clause

Before qui, que and dont, ce becomes the placeholder antecedent that lets a relative clause behave like a noun. Ce que tu dis is the equivalent of a noun phrase, and it can be a subject or an object.

Ce qui compte, c'est l'intention.

What matters is the intention.

ce + qui / que / dont = what.

Common Mistakes with Indefinite Demonstrative Pronouns

Incorrect: Ce dépend du temps. — That depends on the weather.

Correct: Cela dépend du temps. — That depends on the weather.

Ce is only the subject of être. With any other verb the subject has to be cela or ça, which is why ça marche and cela dépend are the standard forms.

Incorrect: Je n'aime pas ce. — I don't like that.

Correct: Je n'aime pas ça. — I don't like that.

Ce cannot be the object of a verb or follow a preposition. In those positions French uses ça in speech and cela in writing.

Incorrect: Cela sont des problèmes sérieux. — Those are serious problems.

Correct: Ce sont des problèmes sérieux. — Those are serious problems.

In front of être the pronoun is ce, and with a plural noun it takes the plural verb: ce sont. Cela never combines with a plural form of être in this construction.

Incorrect: Celas m'inquiètent. — That worries me.

Correct: Cela m'inquiète. — That worries me.

Cela is invariable: there is no plural and no feminine. It refers to something with no gender, so there is nothing to agree with and the verb stays singular.

Ça in Everyday French

Ça carries an enormous amount of conversational weight, and a lot of it is idiomatic rather than literal.

Greetings and reactions

A large family of short conversational formulas is built on ça, where it refers to the situation in general rather than anything specific.

Ça va ?: How are things?
Ça m'est égal.: I don't mind either way.
Ça dépend.: It depends.
Ça y est !: There we go!

None of these work with cela in speech; ça is the fixed form.

Ça for emphasis and irritation

Ça can also stand in for a person, and when it does it is dismissive or affectionate depending entirely on the tone.

Les enfants, ça fait du bruit.: Children make a lot of noise.
Qui est-ce qui a fait ça ?: Who did that?
Comment ça, tu ne viens pas ?: What do you mean, you're not coming?

Comment ça is one of the most useful conversational openers for asking someone to explain themselves.

Cela and ça for duration

Both forms build the expression that measures how long something has been going on, with que introducing the clause.

Ça fait trois heures que j'attends.: I've been waiting for three hours.
Cela faisait longtemps qu'on ne s'était pas vus.: We hadn't seen each other for a long time.
Ça fait combien de temps que tu travailles ici ?: How long have you been working here?

The verb stays in the present in French where English uses a perfect: ça fait deux ans que j'habite ici.

Indefinite Demonstrative Pronouns FAQs

What is the difference between cela and ça?: None in meaning: ça is the contracted spoken form of cela. Conversation uses ça almost all the time (ça va, ça m'énerve), while formal writing prefers cela (cela suppose que…). Both are invariable and interchangeable in grammar.
When do I use ce instead of cela?: Only as the subject of être, where it usually elides: c'est vrai, ce sont mes clés, ce serait dommage. With any other verb you need cela or ça, which is why French says cela dépend rather than ce dépend.
What is the difference between ceci and cela?: Ceci points forwards to what you are about to say, cela backwards to what has been said: retenez ceci, la réunion est annulée ; cela change tout. Outside that contrast, ceci is formal and cela does most of the work.
Is ça rude in French?: Not in itself. It is simply informal, and it is what everyone says in conversation. It can sound dismissive when applied to people — les gens, ça parle trop — so with a person it is worth choosing your tone carefully.
How do I say that depends in French?: Cela dépend, or ça dépend in speech. To add what it depends on, use de: ça dépend du temps, ça dépend de toi. With a clause, use si: ça dépend si tu es libre.