Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns point to specific things and sometimes show whether something is near or far. They help you replace nouns and make sentences clearer and shorter.
Basic Demonstrative Pronouns
The basic French demonstrative pronouns are celui, celle, ceux and celles, and they agree in gender and number with the noun they replace. Each one can be followed by a suffix like -ci or -là to show more precisely whether you mean something near or far.
Examples
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🧴 Je préfère celui avec l'étiquette bleue. | I prefer the one with the blue label. |
| 🧼 Celui-là est plus cher. | That one is more expensive. |
| 🧴 Celle-ci est en promotion. | This one is on sale. |
| 🧷 Celles-là sont toutes en lot. | Those are all in a bundle. |
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Distinctions with -ci and -là
Adding -ci makes the demonstrative pronoun refer to something nearby, while -là points to something more distant. This distinction is useful in conversations when you physically indicate or mentally separate two things.
Examples
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🧴 Regarde ceux-ci, ils sont fraîchement arrivés. | Look at these ones, they just arrived. |
| 🧴 Ceux-là ont été reconditionnés. | Those ones were refurbished. |
| 🧼 Je prends celle-ci, elle a moins de plastique. | I'll take this one, it has less plastic. |
| 🧼 Celle-là a une fuite. | That one has a leak. |
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Demonsrative Pronouns with Modifiers
Demonstrative pronouns can be followed by relative clauses introduced by qui, que, or dont to add information about the thing pointed to. This turns the pronoun into a more precise tool for picking out one item among many.
Examples
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🧴 Celui que j’ai vu en vitrine est plus joli. | The one I saw in the window is prettier. |
| 🧼 Celle qui est marquée "bio" coûte un euro de plus. | The one that is labeled "organic" costs one euro more. |
| 🧷 Ceux dont les étiquettes sont rouges sont en solde. | Those whose labels are red are on sale. |
| 🧴 Celles auxquelles je pensais sont en rupture. | The ones I was thinking of are out of stock. |
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Neutre Demonstrative : Ce, Cela, Ça
Use ce for more abstract or general references, especially before verbs or when introducing an idea, and use cela or ça for turning attention to an action or when replacing a longer phrase. Ça is the colloquial short form of cela.
Examples
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🧷 Ce que tu as pris, c’est mon favori. | What you took is my favorite. |
| 🧴 Cela paraît plus économique. | That seems more economical. |
| 🧼 Ça, je le connais, c’est une bonne marque. | That, I know, is a good brand. |
| 🧷 C’est offert pour deux achetés. | It’s free with two purchased. |
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Summary
Demonstrative pronouns like celui, celle, ceux and celles replace specific nouns and can take -ci or -là to show proximity. Use relative clauses to add detail, and choose between ce, cela and ça for more general or abstract references. Practice these distinctions to make your French both precise and natural.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025