English Translation
I’ll leave, if you don’t mind.
What is cela doing in this sentence? What is it used for? Why not …, si ne vous dérange pas.?
Cela is a pronoun, the formal version of “ça” that you may have seen. It is used to refer to previously stated information. In this example it’s acting as the subject of the second sentence “Si cela ne vous derange pas” with cela acting in as a replacement of “je vais partir”. A couple of other sentences with other subjects, to show its function:
- Je pars, donc, si je vous derange. → here “je” is the subject, because I am the one bothering, and not the fact that I am leaving
- J’aime bien entendre le son de la pluie contre la fenêtre, cela me réconforte → cela is the subject, not to repeat “le bruit de la plui contre la fenetre” whiwh is what I find comforting
- J’aime bien entendre ma maman. Elle me réconforte → again “elle” instead because she is the subject.
In english you would translate it as “that”, but, the usage is not 100% 1 to 1 hence the lack of “that” in the english sentence. A more litteral translation could be:
" I am going to leave, if that doesn’t bother you ".
Again, because of the difference in usage, I think there are instances in which “cela” would rather ne translated as “it”. But don’t quote me on that.
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