Question 1

What is the difference between using Ce que here instead of Comme or Que?

Accepted Answer

In exclamations, Ce que, Comme, and Que all mean "How" or "How much" and are mostly interchangeable. However, Ce que is slightly more colloquial and common in everyday spoken French, while Comme and Que are a bit more standard or literary.

Question 2

Doesn't ce que usually mean "what", as in Je sais ce que tu veux?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in a standard sentence, ce que acts as a relative pronoun meaning "what" (the thing that). But when placed at the very beginning of an exclamative sentence, it acts as an exclamative adverb meaning "How" or "How much".

Question 3

Why isn't the subject and verb inverted here, like Ce que scintille la fusée?

Accepted Answer

In exclamative clauses using Ce que, Comme, or Que, you must keep the standard declarative word order (Subject + Verb). Inversion is used for questions, not for these types of exclamations.

Question 4

Can I place an adjective directly after Ce que, like we do in English with "How bright"?

Accepted Answer

No, you cannot place an adjective or adverb right after Ce que, Que, or Comme. The structure in French is strictly exclamative word + subject + verb. If you wanted to focus on an adjective, you would put it after the verb, for example: Ce que la fusée est brillante ! (How bright the rocket is!).

Ce que la fusée scintille dans le ciel !

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