ça, c'était

that was

→ cela
phrase Uncommon #19,163
that was An emphatic way to say “that was...” by putting the topic first. The phrase can refer to an event, situation, or thing previously mentioned or understood from context.
FR: Ça, c'était une excellente idée.
EN: That was an excellent idea.

Ça, c'était pas au menu.

That wasn't on the menu.

— Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Ça, c'était moi.

That was me.

Ouais, écrivez ça, c'était pas mal.

Yeah, write that down, it wasn't bad.

— Marty Supreme (2025)

Ça, c'était dans Au-delà du Réel.

That was in Beyond Reality.

Ça, c'était un gamin, pas mon ennemi.

He was just a kid, not my enemy.

— Amarcord (1973)

Ça, c'était pas prévu.

That wasn’t planned.

— La Main de Dieu (2021)

Ça, c'était nul.

That was lame.

— Insaisissables 2 (2016)

M. Plinio, ça, c'était autre chose.

Mr. Plinio, now that was something else.

— Bacurau (2019)

Ça, c'était il y a longtemps.

That was a long time ago.

— Douleur et gloire (2019)

Ça, c'était y a quelques heures.

That was a few hours ago.

— L'Ultime Héritier (2026)

Si quelqu'un pouvait s'occuper de ça, c'était elle.

If anyone could take care of it, it was her.

— La Femme de ménage (2025)

Mais même ça, c'était trop pour lui.

But even that was too much for him.

— Bullet Train (2022)

Ça, c'était pour l'Ancien!

That was for the Old Man!

— Le Seigneur des anneaux : Le Retour du roi (2003)

Avouez, ça, c'était super drôle.

Admit it, that was really funny.

— Des hommes d'honneur (1992)

La ville était déjà pourrie, mais ça, c'était complètement différent.

The city was already rotten, but this was something completely different.

— Retour à Silent Hill (2026)

Ça, c'était ouvert.

That was open.

— Apocalypse Now (1979)

Et ça, c'était facile.

And that was easy.

— La Cité de Dieu (2002)

Ça, c'était inattendu.

That was unexpected.

— The Dead Don't Die (2019)

Ça, c'était avant.

That was before.

Ça, c'était pour toi, Filipe.

That was for you, Filipe.

— Aquarius (2016)