French Phrase
Ça a d'excellentes notes.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘It/That has excellent grades.’ It is a short, spoken way to comment on someone’s or something’s high marks, often used after a question about performance.
When to use
Use this phrase in informal conversation when you want to praise a student’s results, a product’s ratings, or any situation where ‘notes’ (grades/marks) are being discussed. It’s typical in spoken French among friends, classmates, or colleagues.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Çaad'excellentesnotes
Ça (informal subject)
‘Ça’ is the informal spoken equivalent of ‘cela’ or ‘il/elle’, used as a neutral subject meaning ‘it/that’.
a (avoir, 3rd pers. sing.)
The verb ‘avoir’ in present tense, third‑person singular, meaning ‘has’.
d' (de + vowel)
‘de’ contracts to ‘d'’ before a vowel or mute h; it introduces the adjective phrase.
excellentes (adjective agreement)
Adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify; here ‘excellentes’ matches the feminine plural ‘notes’.
notes (feminine plural noun)
‘Notes’ means ‘grades/marks’ in an academic context; it is always feminine and plural when talking about multiple scores.
🗨In Conversation
Comment vont tes résultats cette année?
How are your results this year?
Ça a d'excellentes notes.
They’re excellent.
✕Common Mistakes
Ça a de excellentes notes.
‘De’ must contract to ‘d'’ before the vowel‑starting adjective ‘excellentes’.
Ça a d'excellente notes.
The adjective must agree in number with ‘notes’; use the plural ‘excellentes’.
C’est d'excellentes notes.
‘C’est’ means ‘it is’; the correct verb for possession is ‘avoir’ – ‘Ça a…’.
↔Alternatives
Il a d'excellentes notes.
He/It has excellent grades.
Il obtient d'excellentes notes.
He obtains excellent grades.
Il a de très bonnes notes.
He has very good grades.
Ses notes sont excellentes.
His/Her grades are excellent.
Cultural Tip
In the French school system grades are usually out of 20, and ‘excellentes notes’ implies scores close to 18‑20. Using ‘ça’ makes the comment sound casual; in a formal report you’d replace it with ‘il/elle’ or the subject’s name. Also, French speakers often say ‘avoir de bonnes notes’ for ‘to have good grades’, while ‘excellentes’ pushes the praise to a higher level.