Demonstrative Adjectives
Demonstrative adjectives point to specific things and agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. This short guide goes over each adjective and how to use them.
Basic Adjectives
The basic demonstrative adjectives in French are ce, cette, ces, and cet — they show near or more neutral reference.
| French Word(s) | English Word(s) |
|---|---|
| ce | this/that (masc. sing.) |
| cette | this/that (fem. sing.) |
| ces | these/those (plur.) |
| cet | this/that (masc. sing. before vowel) |
Use cet instead of ce when the masculine noun begins with a vowel or mute h to make pronunciation smoother.
| French Example | English Translation | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| 🪑 Cette chaise est confortable. | This chair is comfortable. | Feminine singular |
| 🗑️ Ce panier est plein. | This basket is full. | Masculine singular |
| 🥖 Ces baguettes sont fraîches. | These baguettes are fresh. | Plural (m.) |
| 🍎 Ces pommes sont rouges. | These apples are red. | Plural (f.) |
| 🧺 Ceci est un panier. | This (thing here) is a basket. | Neutral, near |
| 📃 Cela est une liste. | That (thing there) is a list. | Neutral, farther |
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Adjectives for More Distance
For more distance (like "that over there"), French uses the -là forms: ce-là, celle-là, celle-là, celui-là, ceux-là, and celles-là. They add emphasis that the thing is farther away or previously mentioned.
| French Word(s) | English Word(s) |
|---|---|
| celui-là | that one (masc.) |
| celle-là | that one (fem.) |
| ceux-là | those ones (masc. pl.) |
| celles-là | those ones (fem. pl.) |
| ce-là | that (neut./masc. sing.) |
These forms like celui-là are also used as pronouns when they stand in for a noun rather than directly modifying it.
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Adjectives for Nearness
To emphasize nearness (like "this one here"), French uses the -ci forms: celui-ci, celle-ci, ceci, celui-ci, ceci, ceci, ceci, ces-ci, etc. They signal that the object is very close or immediately relevant.
| French Word(s) | English Word(s) |
|---|---|
| celui-ci | this one (masc.) |
| celle-ci | this one (fem.) |
| ceci | this (neut./abstract) |
| ces-ci | these ones |
Like the -là forms, the -ci forms can function as pronouns when they stand alone.
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Summary
Demonstrative adjectives must match the noun in gender and number: use ce/cet for masculine singular, cette for feminine singular, and ces for plural. Add -ci to show nearness and -là to show distance or emphasis, and use forms like celui-là when you need a pronoun instead of an adjective.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025