Demonstrative Pronouns in FrenchA2

The demonstrative pronouns replace a noun already known to avoid repetition. They point to a person, a thing, or a specific idea in the context. In I like apples. These are sweeter, these takes over the apples without repeating the noun. Without a demonstrative pronoun, the sentence becomes heavier, and the link with the targeted element remains less clear. In the family of Pronouns, they serve to designate, choose or oppose an element already present in the discourse.

The simple forms are celui, celle, ceux and celles. Celui takes a masculine singular noun, celle a feminine singular noun, ceux a masculine plural noun and celles a feminine plural noun. We say the book and celui de Paul, the car and celle de my sister, the pens and ceux du bureau, the flowers and celles du jardin. The pronoun thus keeps the gender and number of the noun it replaces. For personal pronouns, see Personal pronouns.

Agreement of the pronoun with the noun referred to

Word	Definition
celui	Il remplace un nom masculin singulier déjà connu.
celle	Il remplace un nom féminin singulier déjà connu.
ceux	Il remplace un nom masculin pluriel déjà connu.
celles	Il remplace un nom féminin pluriel déjà connu.

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The demonstrative pronoun agrees with the noun it replaces, not with the verb that surrounds it. We choose celui or celle according to the original noun, then ceux or celles in the plural. In The shirts are here, but celles I prefer are striped, celles takes over the shirts, therefore a feminine plural noun. The verb may be singular or plural depending on the subject of the sentence, but the demonstrative pronoun does not change for this reason. This logic is the same with the Complement pronouns and other pronominal reprises.

Distinction between proximity and distance

Idea
Le pronom démonstratif saccorde avec le nom remplacé et non avec le verbe.
Le genre du pronom dépend du référent même si la phrase change de forme.
Le nombre du pronom dépend du nombre du nom repris même quand la phrase est longue.

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We add -ci and -là to celui, celle, ceux and celles to distinguish two elements. -Ci indicates proximity in space, time, or discourse, and -là indicates distance or the other choice. We say I take this book here and that one, This house here is for rent, but that one is already sold. When two objects appear together, -ci often designates the closest and -là the farthest. These forms also serve to compare two people, two ideas, or two moments.

Reprise with complement in de

Usage	Explanation
Possession or link	We use celui de to refer back to a masculine noun linked to an idea of possession or connection.
Feminine possession	We use celle de to refer back to a feminine noun linked to an idea of possession or connection.
Plural masculine	We use ceux de to refer back to several masculine nouns already mentioned.

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When the noun being replaced is followed by a complement introduced by de, the demonstrative pronoun can replace the whole with celui de, celle de, ceux de or celles de. We say I took Marie’s suitcase, not Paul’s, The professor’s ideas are clearer than the students’. The structure is therefore demonstrative pronoun + de + complement of the noun. It avoids repeating the main noun and keeps the link with what belongs to someone or something. This reprise often appears with the Indefinite pronouns when we contrast sets.

Demonstrative pronoun and relative clause

Usage	Explanation
Subject person	We use qui after a demonstrative pronoun when the complement plays the role of the subject.
Person or thing complement	We use que after a demonstrative pronoun when the complement is the object.
Place	We use où after a demonstrative pronoun to talk about a place.
Pluriel féminin	On emploie celles de pour reprendre plusieurs noms féminins déjà mentionnés.

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The demonstrative pronouns can be followed by a relative clause introduced by qui, que or où to specify the referent. We then construct celui qui, celle que, ceux où, depending on the required structure. Celui qui parle, celle que j’ai vue, ceux où nous sommes allés show how the pronoun serves as the base for a more precise clause. Qui takes the subject of the relative, que takes the object, and où takes a place or a moment. The demonstrative form preserves its function of pointing, then the relative adds the useful information.

Neutral forms of the demonstrative

Usage	Explanation
Personne sujet	On utilise qui après un pronom démonstratif quand le complément joue le rôle de sujet.
Personne ou chose complément	On utilise que après un pronom démonstratif quand le complément est objet.
Lieu	On utilise où après un pronom démonstratif pour parler d un lieu.

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The neutral forms ce, ceci, cela and ça do not replace a specific noun in the same way as celui or celle. They are used to designate an idea, a situation, or something indeterminate. We say It’s interesting, I prefer this, I don’t like that. Ce often appears in ce est becoming c’est, or in constructions like ce qui and ce que. Cela is more common in writing, while ça is very common in speech and everyday language. Ça often replaces cela without a change in meaning.

Formes neutres du démonstratif

Word	Definition
ce	Il sert à présenter ou à mettre en valeur une idée ou un fait.
ceci	Il désigne ce qui est proche dans le discours ou ce que l on va expliquer.
cela	Il désigne ce qui est plus éloigné dans le discours ou ce que l on mentionne déjà.
ça	Il appartient surtout à la langue orale et il est très courant.

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The demonstrative pronoun replaces a noun already understood. The demonstrative determiner accompanies a noun expressed. We say celle-ci is open but cette porte is open; in the first case, celle-ci takes the place of the noun, in the second, cette announces the noun porte. The presence of the noun after the demonstrative form shows a determiner, and the absence of the noun shows a pronoun. The contrast appears in the same family of words, but the function changes depending on what follows. In the grammar of Complement pronouns, this type of reprise also helps to track who or what is already known in the sentence.