“Nous pensons que c'est une bonne idée.”
Why is ‘que’ used instead of ‘ce que’ if we’re referring to the entire statement ‘c’est une bonne idée’ and not a specific object?
I’m dying to know why!
“Nous pensons que c'est une bonne idée.”
Why is ‘que’ used instead of ‘ce que’ if we’re referring to the entire statement ‘c’est une bonne idée’ and not a specific object?
I’m dying to know why!
You need que in this context, because it functions as the introduction of a subordinate clause and not as a relative pronoun.
Nous pensons que c'est une bonne idée. -- We think that this is a good idea. (Note that "that" isn't a relative pronoun in the English language version either.)
Ce que tu dis est une bonne idée. -- What you say is a good idea. (What = that which)
Claudine aime tout ce que son père lui dit. -- Claudine likes everything that her father tells her. (that = that which)
Claudine aime que son père lui raconte des histoires. -- Claudine likes that her father tells her stories.
Notice that in the last case, where "that" isn't a relative pronoun, the substitution by "that which" doesn't work.
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