In this note, let us learn the use of a very informal demonstrative pronoun. " Ça ".
" Ça " means " that " in an informal way. It is used in all familiar expressions. It means the same as " Cela"
You already know the following expressions taught in elementary classes. Let me enumerate
them with their English equivalents.
1. Ça va ? Oui, ça va.
How do you do ? I am fine
2. Comment ça va ?
How do you do ?
Ça va bien.
I am ok.
Ça va comme ça .
Not bad
Oh, comme ci comme ça.
So-so
3. C'est ça .
That is it.
4. Qu'est-ce que c'est ça?
What is that ?
5. C'est comme ça .
It is like that.
6. Pas de ça
Out of question
7. Ça alors
My goodness .
8.C'est toujours ça
It is always like that
9. Ça y est .
That's it , got it
10.Ah ça non
Definitely not
11. Ça ne me plaît pas
I don't like it
12. Elle travaille dur . Pour ça , elle mérite une appréciation .
She works hard . For that she deserves appreciation .
13. Il est venu m'aider. Sans ça , je n'aurais pas pu fini ce projet.
He came to my help. Without it, I could not have finished the project.
14. Il a beaucoup de problèmes de l'argent . Malgré ça , il est calme et sans souci .
He has a lot of financial problems. In spite of that, he maintains his calm and does not worry.
15. À part ça , quoi de nouveau ?
Apart from that , what else ?
16. Il ne manquait plus que ça .
That's all we needed.
You can master these expressions only by frequent study and use. Remember my English translations are not literal or word to word. If you read French fiction, you can easily grasp the meanings of these expressions from the context.
In my next note, I will take up " Ceci , Cela".
Happy learning !
Point out inadvertent errors ,if any.
Sayee Jayaraman
2/04/2015
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