Understanding Demonstrative Adjectives
French demonstrative adjectives are pointing words that specify which noun you're talking about. They correspond to "this," "that," "these," and "those" in English.
French has four demonstrative adjectives: ce, cet, cette, and ces. They must agree with the gender and number of the noun they modify.
Unlike English, French doesn't distinguish between "this/these" (near) and "that/those" (far) - context determines the meaning.
Examples
ce livre (this book / that book)
Context determines whether it means "this" or "that"
cette voiture (this car / that car)
Same form for both near and far
ces enfants (these children / those children)
Plural form for both near and far
The Four Demonstrative Adjectives
Each demonstrative adjective corresponds to specific gender and number combinations:
Complete Demonstrative System
Here are all French demonstrative adjectives:
French Demonstrative Adjectives
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ce | masculine singular | ce chat (this/that cat) |
| cet | masculine before vowel/h | cet homme (this/that man) |
| cette | feminine singular | cette table (this/that table) |
| ces | plural (both genders) | ces livres (these/those books) |
When to Use CET
Use "cet" before masculine words starting with vowels or silent h:
cet ami (this friend)
cet hôtel (this hotel)
cet ordinateur (this computer)
cet été (this summer)
cet homme (this man)
cet appartement (this apartment)
Agreement Rules
Demonstrative adjectives must agree with the gender and number of the noun they modify:
Examples
Masculine singular: ce livre, cet ami
Use ce or cet depending on first letter
Feminine singular: cette maison, cette école
Always use cette for feminine singular
Plural: ces livres, ces maisons, ces amis
Always use ces for plural (any gender)
Agreement Examples by Gender
Examples showing gender agreement:
Gender Agreement Examples
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | ce garçon | this boy |
| Masculine (vowel) | cet étudiant | this student |
| Feminine | cette fille | this girl |
| Plural | ces étudiants | these students |
Common Uses of Demonstrative Adjectives
Demonstrative adjectives are used in several important contexts:
Examples
Pointing out: Regarde cette voiture! (Look at this car!)
Drawing attention to something specific
Referring back: Ce livre est intéressant. (This book is interesting.)
Referring to something already mentioned
Time expressions: cette semaine (this week), ce matin (this morning)
Common time expressions
Time Expressions with Demonstratives
Common time expressions using demonstrative adjectives:
ce matin (this morning)
ce soir (this evening)
cette semaine (this week)
cette année (this year)
ces jours-ci (these days)
ces temps-ci (these times)
Demonstratives in Questions
Using demonstratives to ask about specific items:
Qui est cet homme? (Who is this man?)
Qu'est-ce que c'est que cette chose? (What is this thing?)
Combien coûte ce livre? (How much does this book cost?)
Où sont ces clés? (Where are these keys?)
Distinguishing Near and Far
When you need to distinguish between "this/these" (near) and "that/those" (far), French adds -ci (here) or -là (there) after the noun:
Examples
ce livre-ci (this book here)
ce livre-là (that book there)
cette voiture-ci (this car here)
cette voiture-là (that car there)
ces enfants-ci (these children here)
ces enfants-là (those children there)
When to Use -CI and -LÀ
These suffixes are used when distinction is necessary:
Comparing: Ce livre-ci est meilleur que ce livre-là.
This book is better than that book.
Choosing: Je préfère cette robe-ci à cette robe-là.
I prefer this dress to that dress.
Contrasting: Ces étudiants-ci travaillent, ces étudiants-là jouent.
These students work, those students play.
Demonstrative Adjectives vs Pronouns
Don't confuse demonstrative adjectives (ce, cette, ces) with demonstrative pronouns (celui, celle, ceux, celles):
Adjectives: Modify nouns (ce livre)
Pronouns: Replace nouns (celui-ci)
Demonstrative adjectives always come before a noun.
Examples
Adjective: ce livre (this book)
Pronoun: celui-ci (this one)
Adjective: cette voiture (this car)
Pronoun: celle-là (that one)
Side-by-Side Comparison
Adjectives vs pronouns in context:
J'aime ce livre. (I like this book.) - adjective
J'aime celui-ci. (I like this one.) - pronoun
Cette maison est belle. (This house is beautiful.) - adjective
Celle-là est belle. (That one is beautiful.) - pronoun
Common Expressions with Demonstratives
Many fixed expressions use demonstrative adjectives:
Examples
à cette époque (at that time)
en ce moment (at this moment)
dans ces conditions (under these conditions)
pour cette raison (for this reason)
ce genre de (this kind of)
cette sorte de (this sort of)
Exclamatory Expressions
Demonstratives in exclamations:
Quelle est cette odeur! (What is this smell!)
Regarde ce désordre! (Look at this mess!)
Comme cette musique est belle! (How beautiful this music is!)
Que ces fleurs sont jolies! (How pretty these flowers are!)
Common Demonstrative Mistakes
Here are frequent errors students make with demonstrative adjectives:
1. Wrong gender agreement: Using ce with feminine nouns
2. Forgetting CET: Using ce before vowels instead of cet
3. Plural confusion: Using wrong forms for plural
4. Adjective vs pronoun: Confusing demonstrative adjectives with pronouns
Examples
❌ ce table → ✅ cette table
Wrong: table is feminine, needs cette
❌ ce homme → ✅ cet homme
Wrong: must use cet before vowel sound
❌ cette livres → ✅ ces livres
Wrong: plural needs ces, not cette
❌ ce → ✅ ce livre (need noun after adjective)
Wrong: demonstrative adjective needs a noun