Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ça | /sa/ /sa/ (Louisiana) |
neuter |
| il | /il/ /i/ (informal) |
masculine |
| elle | /ɛl/ /a/ (Quebec, informal) |
feminine |
| ce | /sə/ /sø/ (Paris) |
neuter |
In French, 'it' is expressed using different forms based on what you are referring to. When you are referring to a specific inanimate object, you must use il if the object is masculine or elle if the object is feminine. In spoken French, ça is frequently used as a neutral 'it' to refer to a general situation or an unspecified thing, whereas il or elle requires a specific noun to be the antecedent.
Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on grammatical gender and function. Use il for masculine objects and elle for feminine objects. Use ce as a demonstrative pronoun or as part of the construction c'est (it is) to identify things. Use ça for neutral, general situations or unspecified things.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In France, the phrase 'How are you?' is commonly expressed as Comment ça va?
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form ce is used as a demonstrative pronoun or as part of the construction c'est to mean 'it is' when identifying things.
How do you pronounce it?
/sa/
Did you know?
- The word ce has two different origins depending on which version you use, one coming from the Latin 'ecce ille' and another from 'ecce hoc'.
- The word ce in the phrase c'est is a remnant of a complex system of demonstratives in Old French that once distinguished between things close to the speaker and things further away.
- In very formal written French, ça is often replaced by cela because ça is considered too casual for academic or legal texts.
Examples in context
- Ça va bien ?Is it going well?This sentence uses ça to ask if things are going well.Tatoeba #557870 by sacredceltic, translation #3273065 by sundown
- Ça sent bon !It smells good!This sentence uses ça to describe a pleasant smell.Tatoeba #10655 by sacredceltic, translation #66685 by CK
- Ça m'a scié !It staggered me!This sentence uses ça to describe a feeling of being staggered.Tatoeba #1369168 by sacredceltic, translation #1369169 by sacredceltic
- 10835 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are looking at a new gadget.
- ManonRegarde ce petit robot, ça marche comment ?Look at this little robot, how does it work?
- GabrielJe ne sais pas, ça a l'air compliqué.I don't know, it looks complicated.
- ManonAppuie sur le bouton, ça devrait démarrer.Press the button, it should start.
- GabrielAh oui, ça fonctionne enfin !Ah yes, it's finally working!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “it” translations and entries ça, il, elle, ce, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ce, elle, il, ça, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
