c'était
The English phrase "that was" translates to French as c'était.
Which one should you use?
Use c'était to describe a continuous state or background setting in the past, whereas c'a été is used to describe a completed event or a specific, bounded experience.
Did you know?
- The phrase c'était can be used to refer to a person's former profession or role, such as c'était un grand homme, meaning 'he was a great man'.
- Using c'était can act as a stylistic 'buffer' in French conversation, allowing a speaker to soften a critique of something that happened.
- In spoken French, the first syllable of c'était is often dropped or shortened, sounding like t'était or just était in rapid conversation.
Examples in context
- C'était trop bon !That was too good!Tatoeba #3423636 by Rovo, translation #12459440 by sundown
- C'était de ma faute.That was my fault.Tatoeba #4585937 by sacredceltic, translation #2648438 by CK
- C'était l'idée, non ?That was the idea, wasn't it?Tatoeba #6285960 by Aiji, translation #2542866 by CK
- Le film était incroyable. C'était vraiment passionnant!The movie was incredible. That was really exciting!
- J'ai fini mon discours. Voilà ce que je voulais dire.I finished my speech. That was what I wanted to say.
- Le concert hier soir était incroyable. C'était trop bien!The concert last night was incredible. That was so good!
- Tu te souviens de nos vacances d'été? Ça, c'était cool!Do you remember our summer vacation? That, that was cool!
- 423 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are discussing a movie they just watched.
- GabrielTu as aimé le film ?Did you like the movie?
- ChloéOui, c'était génial !Yes, that was great!
- GabrielJe suis d'accord avec toi.I agree with you.
- ChloéOn devrait le revoir.We should see it again.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
