The French relative pronoun ce que is used to refer to an unspecified or undefined idea, action, or object. It is usually translated into English as “what” or “that which.” It introduces a subordinate clause and serves as the object of the verb in that clause.

There are two main sentence structures in which ce que commonly appears.

Sentence structures with ce que

Structure 1: Clause 1 + ce que + clause 2

This common structure places ce que in the middle of a sentence, linking a main clause with a subordinate clause.

• Je ne comprends pas ce que tu veux dire.
  I don’t understand what you mean.
• Elle a oublié ce que je lui avais demandé.
  She forgot what I had asked her.
• Il a répété ce que son père lui avait appris.
  He repeated what his father had taught him.
• Je t’ai montré ce que j’avais écrit.
  I showed you what I had written.
• Tu sauras bientôt ce que cela signifie.
  You’ll soon know what that means.

In this structure, ce que functions as a connector between two parts of the sentence and acts as the object of the verb in the subordinate clause.

Structure 2: Ce que + clause 1 + clause 2

This other structure starts with ce que and is followed by two related clauses. The second clause often provides a comment, explanation, or emphasis about the first.

• Ce que tu fais me dérange.
  What you are doing bothers me.
• Ce que j’ai entendu m’a choqué.
  What I heard shocked me.
• Ce que nous voulons tous, c’est un peu de paix.
  What we all want is a bit of peace.
• Ce que tu dis est vrai.
  What you’re saying is true.
• Ce que vous avez fait est inacceptable.
  What you did is unacceptable.

In these examples, ce que introduces the content being talked about, and the second clause expresses its effect or nature.

Usage examples

Sentences with ce que in the middle

Ce que frequently appears after impersonal or fixed expressions such as c’est, voilà, je ne sais pas, or peu importe.

• Voilà ce que j’avais en tête.
  That’s what I had in mind.
• C’est ce que j’essayais de dire.
  That’s what I was trying to say.
• Je ne sais pas ce que je vais faire.
  I don’t know what I’m going to do.
• Peu importe ce que les gens pensent.
  No matter what people think.

Sentences starting with ce que

• Elle comprend toujours ce que je ressens.
  She always understands what I feel.
• Ils n’ont pas dit ce que tout le monde pensait.
  They didn’t say what everyone was thinking.
• Tu dois faire attention à ce que tu dis.
  You need to be careful about what you say.
• Je ne vois pas ce que ça change.
  I don’t see what difference that makes.
• Tu découvriras ce que cela implique.
  You’ll find out what that involves.
• Il ignore ce que les autres pensent.
  He doesn’t know what the others think.
• On obtient souvent ce que l’on mérite.
  We often get what we deserve.
• Elle a décrit ce que nous avions vécu.
  She described what we had experienced.
• Nous avons dit ce que nous pensions.
  We said what we thought.
• Je me demande ce que tu attends.
  I wonder what you’re waiting for.

Ce que with impersonal expressions

• Ce que j’apprécie chez lui, c’est sa sincérité.
  What I appreciate in him is his sincerity.
• Ce que tu ignores peut te nuire.
  What you don’t know can harm you.
• Ce que j’ai vu m’a profondément troublé.
  What I saw deeply disturbed me.
• Ce que nous avons perdu est irremplaçable.
  What we lost is irreplaceable.
• Ce que je veux dire, c’est que tu avais raison.
  What I mean is that you were right.