Ce qui est cassé, c'est la pédale.

Questions & Answers about Ce qui est cassé, c'est la pédale.

Why do we use ce qui here instead of ce que?
We use ce qui because it acts as the subject of the verb est in the first clause. You use ce que when it is the direct object of the verb, such as in the phrase ce que j'ai cassé (what I broke).
Why use the long structure Ce qui... c'est... instead of just saying La pédale est cassée?
This structure is used for emphasis (often called la mise en relief). By separating the sentence into two parts, it builds anticipation and strongly highlights that the pedal is the specific thing that is broken, much like saying 'What is broken is the pedal' in English.
Why is cassé spelled without an extra 'e' at the end, since la pédale is feminine?
The adjective cassé must agree with its subject, which in this clause is the neutral pronoun ce. Because ce is indefinite and doesn't have a specific gender, any adjective describing it takes the default masculine singular form.

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