Demonstrative Adjectives and Pronouns

Learning Objectives

Learn how to use the French demonstrative adjectives.
Learn how to use the French demonstrative pronouns.
Learn the French words for the home and furniture.

A lady in a cafe wondering what the correct demonstrative adjective to use is.

Grammar

Demonstratives in French, like their English counterparts ("this," "that," "these," "those"), are used to point out or specify particular people or things. They fall into two main categories: Demonstrative Adjectives and Demonstrative Pronouns.

Les Adjectifs Démonstratifs

The demonstrative adjectives in French are used before a noun and agree with that noun in gender and number. They translate to "this," "that," "these," or "those."

The Basic Forms: Ce, Cette, Ces

French Adjective + Noun	English Translation
Ce livre (Masc. Sg.)	This book / That book
Cette chaise (Fem. Sg.)	This chair / That chair
Ces étudiants (Pl.)	These students / Those students

The Vowel/H Rule: Cet

To make pronounciation easier by avoiding a vowel clash, ce changes to cet when the following masculine singular noun starts with a vowel or a silent 'h'.

French Adjective + Noun	English Translation
Cet avion (Masc. Sg. + Vowel)	This plane / That plane
Cet homme (Masc. Sg. + Silent 'h')	This man / That man

Adding Specificity: -ci and -là

To distinguish between "this" (close) and "that" (far), you append the suffixes -ci (here/close) or -là (there/far) to the end of the noun.

French Structure	Meaning
Ce livre-ci	This book (close to me)
Cette chaise-là	That chair (over there)

Les Pronoms Démonstratifs (Demonstrative Pronouns)

Demonstrative pronouns are used to replace a previously mentioned noun. They stand alone and must also agree with the replaced noun's gender and number. They translate to "the one(s)," "this one(s)," or "that one(s)."

Masc. Sg.	Fem. Sg.	Masc. Pl.	Fem. Pl.	English Meaning
celui	celle	ceux	celles	The one(s)

Simple forms cannot stand alone without being followed by a specific clause (e.g., qui, que, or de).

Cette maison est celle que je préfère.	This house is the one that I prefer.
Ces maisons sont celles que je préfère.	These houses are the ones that I prefer.
Ce livre est celui que je préfère.	This book is the one that I prefer.
Ces livres sont ceux que je préfère.	These books are the ones that I prefer.
Je préfère ces boulangeries à celles de Paris.	I prefer these bakeries to the ones in Paris.

Adding Specificity: -ci and -là

	Masc. Sg.	Fem. Sg.	Masc. Pl.	Fem. Pl.	English Meaning
Near	celui-ci	celle-ci	ceux-ci	celles-ci	This one / These ones
Far	celui-là	celle-là	ceux-là	celles-là	That one / Those ones

J'aime celui-ci mais je préfère celui-là. (referring to livre)	I like this one but I prefer that one.
Tu veux celles-ci ou celles-là ? (referring to fleurs)	Do you want these ones or those ones?

Le Pronom Démonstratif Neutre (The Neutral Demonstrative Pronoun)

The neutral demonstrative pronoun (ce, ceci, cela, ça) refers to an idea, a situation, a clause, or an unspecified thing. It means "it," "this," or "that."