Basic Pointing and Belonging | Learn French in English

French lesson set in a contemporary Paris everyday setting: A beginner practices six useful English phrases about basic pointing and belonging..

EN → FR / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Basic Pointing and Belonging to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

C'est quoi, ça ?

seh KWAH, sah What is this?
B

C'est quoi, là-bas ?

seh KWAH, lah-BAH What is that?
A

Qui est cette personne ?

kee eh set pair-SON Who is that?
B

Lequel est à toi ?

luh-KEL eh ah TWAH Which one is yours?
A

Celui-ci est à moi.

suh-LWEE-SEE eh ah MWAH This one is mine.
B

Celui-là est à toi.

suh-LWEE-LAH eh ah TWAH That one is yours.

Word by Word

C'est “C'est” means “is” or “it is” in “C'est quoi, ça ?” It introduces a question asking what something is, and the pattern “C'est quoi, ... ?” can be reused to ask what something is.
quoi “quoi” means “what” in the question “C'est quoi, ça ?” Here it asks for the identity or name of the thing being pointed out. The pattern “C'est quoi, ... ?” is used to ask what something is.
ça “ça” points to the thing being identified in “C'est quoi, ça ?” and can mean “this” or “that” depending on the context. It is useful at the end of a question when pointing to something.
là-bas “là-bas” means “over there” in “C'est quoi, là-bas ?” The expression combines “là”, meaning “there”, with “bas”, meaning “down” or “below”, and the whole expression points to a place farther away. Use “là-bas” to indicate where something is located.
Qui “Qui” means “who” in “Qui est cette personne ?” It asks for the identity of a person. The pattern “Qui est ... ?” is used to ask who someone is.
cette “cette” means “this” before “personne” in “cette personne”. It identifies a particular person being pointed out or discussed. The pattern “cette” followed by a noun can identify one particular person or thing.
personne “personne” means “person” in “cette personne”. It refers to the individual whose identity is being asked about. Use “personne” when referring to an individual.
Lequel “Lequel” means “which one” in “Lequel est à toi ?” It selects one item from several possible items. The pattern “Lequel est ... ?” can be used to ask which item has a particular description or belongs to someone.
est “est” means “is” in “Lequel est à toi ?” and “Celui-ci est à moi.” It links the item being discussed with information about it, and it is the dialogue form of “être” used for “is”. The pattern “X est ...” gives information about X.
à “à” marks belonging in “à toi” and “à moi”. In the patterns “X est à toi” and “X est à moi”, it helps express who owns X. Use “à” before a person word in this ownership pattern.
toi “toi” identifies the person addressed as the owner in “à toi”. The expression “à toi” means “belonging to you” in “Lequel est à toi ?” and “Celui-là est à toi.”
Celui-ci “Celui-ci” means “this one” in “Celui-ci est à moi.” It combines “Celui”, which refers to the selected item, with “ci”, which indicates the one here or near the speaker. Use the whole expression to point out the nearer item among alternatives.
moi “moi” identifies the speaker as the owner in “à moi”. The expression “à moi” means “belonging to me” in “Celui-ci est à moi.” Use “à moi” to state that an item belongs to you.
Celui-là “Celui-là” means “that one” in “Celui-là est à toi.” It combines “Celui”, which refers to the selected item, with “là”, which indicates the one there or farther away. Use the whole expression to point out the more distant item among alternatives.

Grammar Points

celui-ci / celui-là

Celui-ci est à moi, celui-là est à toi.

suh-LWEE-SEE eh ah MWAH, suh-LWEE-LAH eh ah TWAH

This one is mine; that one is yours.

These demonstrative pronouns distinguish a nearby item (celui-ci) from one farther away (celui-là).

Lequel est à toi ?

Lequel est à toi ?

luh-KEL eh ah TWAH

Which one is yours?

Lequel is an interrogative pronoun used to ask which specific item or person is meant.

French Vocabulary

à moi phrase
ah MWAH mine; belonging to me
à toi phrase
ah TWAH yours; belonging to you
C'est quoi phrase
seh KWAH What is it?

C'est quoi, ça ?

ça pron
sah this; that; it
celui-ci pron
suh-LWEE-SEE this one
celui-là pron
suh-LWEE-LAH that one
cette det
set this; that
est verb
eh is
là-bas adv
lah-BAH over there
lequel pron
luh-KEL which one
personne noun
pair-SON person
qui pron
kee who

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

What is this?

Show AnswerC'est quoi, ça ?

What is that?

Show AnswerC'est quoi, là-bas ?

Who is that?

Show AnswerQui est cette personne ?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

which one

Show Answerlequel

person

Show Answerpersonne

this; that

Show Answercette

who

Show Answerqui