Emphasis with pseudo-clefts (ce qui, ce que)

Emphasizing with pseudo-cleft sentences

Sometimes you want to draw special attention to a particular part of a sentence. Instead of just saying "This new comedian is hilarious," you might want to say "What is hilarious is this new comedian."

In French, we use the structures ce qui... c'est... and ce que... c'est... to put a spotlight on specific information.

Using "ce qui" as the subject

When "what" acts as the subject in the first part of the sentence (the person or thing doing the action, or being described), use ce qui.

Notice how ce qui is followed directly by a verb (or an object pronoun). The second half of the sentence always begins with c'est (it is), which introduces the thing you are emphasizing.

Using "ce que" as the direct object

When "what" acts as the direct object in the first part of the sentence (the thing receiving the action), use ce que. It is typically followed by a new subject (like je, tu, nous, etc.).

Remember that ce que drops its e and becomes ce qu' if the word immediately following it begins with a vowel or a mute h.

Putting it all together

You can use these structures to contrast different elements, highlight what caused an awkward silence, or express strong preferences during a critique. The formula is always: ce qui / ce que + [first part of the sentence], c'est + [the emphasized element].