Basic Pointing and Belonging | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. C'est quoi, ça ?

   What is this?

   C'est quoi

   What is it?

   ça

   this

   More detail

   C'est quoi is a familiar spoken French way to ask “What is it?” It combines c', the shortened form of ce before est, with est (“is”) and quoi (“what”). The same question in a more neutral, standard pattern is Qu'est-ce que c'est ? (“What is it?”). Here, quoi asks for the identity or nature of something; it is not the name of the thing being identified. ça is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “this” here. It is the shortened spoken form of cela, and it can refer to something being indicated or otherwise understood from the situation. Unlike a demonstrative adjective, it stands on its own: Ça est... is not the usual form; before est, French normally uses C'est.... Together, C'est quoi, ça ? literally follows the pattern “It is what, this?” but naturally means “What is this?” The final ça identifies the thing the speaker is asking about, while C'est quoi asks what that thing is. This is an informal spoken formulation; Qu'est-ce que c'est ? is a broadly usable alternative when the referent is already clear.

2. C'est quoi, là-bas ?

   What is that?

   C'est quoi

   What is it?

   là-bas

   over there

   More detail

   C'est quoi is a common conversational way to ask “What is that/it?” In this pattern, c'est comes from ce + est (“it/that is”), and quoi means “what.” French also has the more formal pattern Qu'est-ce que c'est ? for the same basic question. là-bas means “over there.” It indicates a location away from the speaker; compare ici (“here”). It is separate from the question pattern, so it adds the location rather than changing the question word. Together, C'est quoi, là-bas ? means “What is that over there?” The comma reflects the spoken pause before the location phrase. The wording is conversational; a more formal alternative is Qu'est-ce que c'est, là-bas ?.

3. Qui est cette personne ?

   Who is that?

   Qui

   who

   est

   is

   cette

   that

   personne

   person

   More detail

   Qui means “who” here: it asks for the identity of a person. In French, qui can introduce a question about a person; compare Que... ? or Qu’est-ce que... ? for “what...?” when asking about a thing. est is the third-person singular present form of être, “to be.” The useful present-tense chain is je suis, tu es, il/elle est. In this sentence, the grammatical subject is cette personne, so the singular form est is used; qui asks for the person’s identity and does not determine the verb’s number here. cette is the feminine singular demonstrative determiner meaning “this” or “that” before a noun. Its form agrees with the noun it determines: ce before a masculine singular noun, cette before a feminine singular noun, and ces for plural nouns. In this sentence, the fixed translation uses the more distant-sounding English word “that,” but the French form itself is the feminine singular form. personne means “person” here. It is a feminine noun in French, so it combines with cette: cette personne. Do not confuse this noun with the negative expression ne ... personne, which can mean “nobody” in a different construction. Together, Qui est cette personne ? asks for the identity of the person indicated by cette personne, producing the fixed meaning “Who is that?” The noun is explicit in French even though the English translation leaves it implicit.

4. Lequel est à toi ?

   Which one is yours?

   Lequel

   which one

   est

   is

   à toi

   yours

   More detail

   Lequel means “which one” here. It is the masculine singular form of the French interrogative pronoun: lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles. The form agrees with the noun or set of items being selected, including when that noun is omitted; the sentence itself does not identify a specific referent. For example: Laquelle choisis-tu ? — “Which one are you choosing?” est is the third-person singular present form of être (“to be”). The useful present-tense pattern is je suis, tu es, il/elle est. Here it links Lequel with the ownership expression that follows. à toi means “yours” in this sentence. French expresses this predicate meaning with être à plus a stressed pronoun: C’est à moi — “It is mine”; C’est à toi — “It is yours.” toi is the stressed form corresponding to tu; it is used after the preposition à. This construction is different from the possessive adjective ton or ta, which comes before a noun, as in ton livre — “your book.” Together, Lequel + est + à toi forms the question Lequel est à toi ? Literally, it asks which item is “to you,” and the established meaning is “Which one is yours?”

5. Celui-ci est à moi.

   This one is mine.

   Celui-ci

   this one

   est

   is

   à moi

   mine

   More detail

   Celui-ci means “this one.” It is a demonstrative pronoun: celui stands for a masculine singular item or person, while -ci presents it as the one closer to the speaker or currently indicated. It is not an adjective directly modifying a noun. The feminine singular form is celle-ci, and plural forms include ceux-ci and celles-ci. In the supplied exchange, the contrast is with celui-là, “that one.” Est is the present-tense third-person singular form of être, “to be.” The pattern X est ... identifies or describes X. Example: Celle-ci est grande. — “This one is big.” Here, est links the demonstrative pronoun to the ownership expression that follows. À moi expresses possession after être: être à quelqu’un means that something belongs to someone. Moi is the stressed pronoun used after the preposition à; it is not the subject form je. The corresponding expression for “yours” in the supplied context is à toi. Example: Le livre est à moi. — “The book is mine.” Together, Celui-ci est à moi has the structure “this one is to me,” with the idiomatic meaning “this one belongs to me” or “this one is mine.” The demonstrative identifies the selected item, est links it to a description, and à moi states its owner.

6. Celui-là est à toi.

   That one is yours.

   Celui-là

   that one

   est à toi

   is yours

   More detail

   Celui-là means “that one” here. It is a demonstrative pronoun: celui is the masculine singular form, and -là identifies the one being referred to as “that” one, often in contrast with another one. In the supplied context, it contrasts with celui-ci (“this one”), but the pronoun’s specific noun referent is not stated. Useful contrast: celui-ci = “this one”; celui-là = “that one.” The forms agree with the understood masculine singular referent, not with the possessor. est is the third-person singular present form of être (“to be”): être → est. The construction être à + stressed pronoun expresses possession here. toi is the stressed form corresponding to “you,” so à toi means “yours” in this construction. This is different from the possessive adjective ton/ta, which must accompany a noun. Example: Ce livre est à toi. — “This book is yours.” Together, Celui-là est à toi. identifies one item as “that one” and states that it belongs to the person addressed: “That one is yours.”