Demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, those)

Demonstrative Adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)

This guide explains the four French demonstrative adjectives — ce, cet, cette, ces — so you know what they mean, how and when to use them, and how to avoid common mistakes. Examples are given in French with English translations.

What are demonstrative adjectives?

Definition
A demonstrative adjective points to a specific noun and agrees with that noun in gender and number. In English the equivalents are this, that, these, those.

Examples:
- Ce livre (this/that book). — Ce livre est intéressant. (This/That book is interesting.)
- Cette maison (this/that house). — Cette maison est grande. (This/That house is big.)
- Cet ami (this/that friend — used before a vowel sound). — Cet ami habite ici. (This/That friend lives here.)
- Ces chaussures (these/those shoes). — Ces chaussures sont confortables. (These/Those shoes are comfortable.)

When do I use them?

Use demonstrative adjectives whenever you want to point out or identify a particular noun (person, object, idea). They always come before the noun they modify.

Common situations:
- To identify: Ce stylo est à moi. (This/That pen is mine.)
- To contrast or choose between items: Je prends cette robe, pas celle-là. (I’ll take this dress, not that one.)
- To refer to multiple items: Ces enfants jouent dans le parc. (These/Those children are playing in the park.)
- To point something out while speaking: Regarde ce chien ! (Look at that dog!)

How are they formed? (rules and agreement)

Basic forms and agreement
- Masculine singular (before a consonant sound): ce
- ce garçon (this/that boy)
- Ce garçon est mon voisin. (This/That boy is my neighbor.)
- Masculine singular (before a vowel sound or silent h): cet
- cet ami, cet hôtel, cet homme
- Cet ami vient demain. (This/That friend is coming tomorrow.)
- Feminine singular: cette
- cette fille, cette voiture
- Cette voiture est rouge. (This/That car is red.)
- Plural (both genders): ces
- ces livres, ces femmes
- Ces livres sont sur la table. (These/Those books are on the table.)

Placement with adjectives
The demonstrative adjective always comes before the noun. If an adjective also appears, the order depends on the adjective’s normal position in French:
- Demonstrative + adjective + noun (when the adjective normally comes before the noun): cette petite fille. (this little girl)
- Cette petite fille rit. (This little girl is laughing.)
- Demonstrative + noun + adjective (when the adjective normally follows the noun): cette maison blanche. (this white house)
- Cette maison blanche est ancienne. (This white house is old.)

Using -ci and -là to show near vs far
To make the meaning “this” (near) or “that” (far) explicit, add -ci (here) or -là (there) after the noun:
- ce livre-ci (this book here) — Ce livre-ci est à moi. (This book here is mine.)
- ce livre-là (that book there) — Ce livre-là appartient à Paul. (That book there belongs to Paul.)

Note: the demonstrative still agrees with the noun: cette chaise-ci / cette chaise-là, ces idées-ci / ces idées-là.

Special cases and differences you must know

1. cet before vowels and silent h
Use cet only for masculine singular nouns that begin with a vowel sound or a silent (mute) h.
- cet ami (friend), cet enfant (child), cet hôtel (hotel), cet homme (man).

2. ce vs c' and c'est (different functions)
- ce (demonstrative adjective) must be followed by a noun: Ce livre est utile. (This/That book is useful.)
- c' or c'est is the pronoun + verb combination (ce + est) used to identify or comment: C'est un livre utile. (That/It is a useful book. / This is a useful book.)

Compare:
- Ce garçon est intelligent. (This/That boy is intelligent.)
- C'est un garçon intelligent. (He/That is an intelligent boy.)

When you say something is (adjective) without immediately naming the noun, you usually use c'est: C'est intéressant. (That's interesting.)

3. Demonstrative adjectives vs demonstrative pronouns
- Demonstrative adjective: modifies a noun — Cette robe est belle. (This/That dress is beautiful.)
- Demonstrative pronoun: replaces a noun — Celle-ci est belle. / Celle-là est belle. (This one is beautiful. / That one is beautiful.)

French demonstrative pronouns are: celui / celle / ceux / celles (plus -ci / -là) and the neutral ceci / cela (or ça).

4. ces vs ses (very common confusion)
Ces (demonstrative plural) vs ses (possessive plural — his/her):
- Ces chaussures sont neuves. (These/Those shoes are new.)
- Ses chaussures sont neuves. (His/Her shoes are new.)
Listen and check spelling: they sound the same but mean different things.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

- Wrong: *cet voiture. Correct: cette voiture. (cet is only for masculine singular before a vowel sound)
- Wrong: *ce ami. Correct: cet ami.
- Wrong: *ces ami. Correct: cet ami (if singular) or ces amis (plural).
- Mixing ces (these/those) and ses (his/her): check context and possessive meaning.
- Confusing demonstrative adjective (ce livre) with demonstrative pronoun (celui-ci). If you replace the noun with a pronoun, switch to celui/celle/ceux/celles.
- Using c'est when you should use ce + noun and vice versa. If you directly describe a noun (Ce livre est...), use demonstrative adjective. If you identify or comment (It’s/That’s…), c'est.

Comprehensive examples (grouped by form)

CE (masculine singular before consonant sound)
- Ce livre est sur la table. (This/That book is on the table.)
- Ce petit garçon joue au ballon. (This/That little boy is playing ball.)
- Je n'aime pas ce fromage. (I don't like this/that cheese.)

CET (masculine singular before vowel sound or mute h)
- Cet appartement est lumineux. (This/That apartment is bright.)
- Cet oiseau chante très tôt. (This/That bird sings very early.)
- Cet homme travaille ici. (This/That man works here.)

CETTE (feminine singular)
- Cette robe te va bien. (This/That dress suits you well.)
- Cette solution est simple. (This/That solution is simple.)
- Cette année a été longue. (This/That year has been long.)

CES (plural for both genders)
- Ces élèves étudient ensemble. (These/Those students study together.)
- Ces idées sont intéressantes. (These/Those ideas are interesting.)
- Ces deux chaises sont cassées. (These/Those two chairs are broken.)

-ci / -là to mark near vs far
- Je veux ce gâteau-ci, pas ce gâteau-là. (I want this cake here, not that cake there.)
- Ces photos-ci sont les miennes; ces photos-là sont à Marie. (These photos here are mine; those photos there belong to Marie.)

Demonstrative adjective vs pronoun
- Demonstrative adjective: Cette chanson est belle. (This/That song is beautiful.)
- Demonstrative pronoun: Celle-ci est belle. (This one is beautiful.)

c'est vs ce + noun
- C'est un problème difficile. (That's a difficult problem.)
- Ce problème est difficile. (This/That problem is difficult.)

Examples showing contrast or choice
- Tu préfères cette chemise ou cette autre chemise? — Je préfère celle-ci. (Do you prefer this shirt or that other shirt? — I prefer this one.)
- Ces chaussures-là sont trop petites; prends ces chaussures-ci. (Those shoes are too small; take these ones.)

Quick reference (cheat sheet)

- Masculine singular before consonant sound: ce (ce livre)
- Masculine singular before vowel sound or mute h: cet (cet ami)
- Feminine singular: cette (cette maison)
- Plural (both genders): ces (ces enfants)
- Add -ci (near) or -là (far) after the noun to show distance: ce livre-ci / ce livre-là
- Replace a noun with a demonstrative pronoun when needed: celui / celle / ceux / celles (+ -ci / -là)

Glossary (simple definitions)

- Demonstrative adjective: a word that points to a noun (ce, cet, cette, ces).
- Demonstrative pronoun: a word that replaces a noun and points to it (celui, celle, ceux, celles, ceci, cela).
- Agreement: matching the gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the adjective to the noun.
- Elision: dropping a vowel sound; e.g., c' in c'est (ce + est).
- H muet (silent h): an initial h that behaves like a vowel for elision/liaison (use cet before such nouns).

Summary

- Use ce, cet, cette, ces before a noun to say this/that/these/those in French.
- Choose the form to match gender and number, and use cet before a masculine noun that begins with a vowel sound or silent h.
- Use -ci / -là after the noun to make “this” vs “that” explicit.
- Do not confuse demonstrative adjectives with pronouns (celui, celle, etc.) or with c'est.

If you remember the four forms and the cet-before-vowels rule, and you pay attention to ces vs ses, you will avoid the most common errors. Happy studying!