Demonstrative Adjectives
Spoken Description
Apprenez à utiliser les adjectifs démonstratifs : ce, cette, ces pour désigner et montrer des objets, personnes ou idées. Inclut la grammaire, l'accord en genre et nombre, et des exemples pratiques.
Learn to use demonstrative adjectives: this, that, these to indicate and point to objects, people or ideas. Covers grammar, gender and number agreement, with practical examples and exercises.
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Demonstrative adjectives point to specific nouns and signal whether something is near or far from the speaker. They must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.
Basic Forms
The three sets of demonstrative adjectives correspond to distance: near the speaker, near the listener, and far from both. Each set has masculine, feminine, and plural forms.
| French Adjective | English Adjective | French Adjective | English Adjective | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ce | this/that (masculine sing.) | cette | this/that (feminine sing.) | |
| cet | this/that (masculine sing. before vowel) | ces | these/those (plural) |
(this) manteau
this coat
Complete the phrase with the correct masculine singular demonstrative adjective: ___ manteau (coat)
Examples
Short Demonstratives
In informal speech, short demonstratives like ce sometimes replace longer forms, especially before nouns and adjectives. Use the full form when gender distinguishes meaning.
(it/this) est important
It is important
Complete with the short demonstrative: ___ est important (It is important)
This/That (Near)
Use ce, cet, cette, and ces to indicate items near the speaker. They signal that the noun is relevant or physically close.
(this) statue
this statue
Fill in for a feminine singular noun near the speaker: ___ statue (statue)
That/Those (Far)
To emphasize greater distance, French uses expressions like là-bas with demonstratives. The adjectives themselves do not change, but added phrases make the distance clear.
Summary
Demonstrative adjectives agree with the noun and show whether something is near or far. Learn the basic forms and use short or full forms depending on gender and emphasis.
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