Demonstrative Adjectives in French

Overview

Demonstrative adjectives are the words you use to point to something specific — "this," "that," "these," and "those" in English. In French, the adjectifs démonstratifs follow a similar logic, but they must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.

As an A1 concept, demonstrative adjectives appear constantly in everyday French. You will use them when shopping (cette robe — this dress), giving directions (cet immeuble — this building), or simply pointing things out (ces fleurs — these flowers).

One thing that surprises English speakers is that French does not naturally distinguish between "this" and "that" the way English does. The basic forms ce/cet/cette/ces can mean either. When you need to make the distinction clear, you add -ci (for "this/here") or -là (for "that/there") after the noun.

How It Works

Gender/Number	Form	Used before	Example
Masculine singular	ce	consonant	ce garçon (this/that boy)
Masculine singular	cet	vowel or silent h	cet arbre (this/that tree)
Feminine singular	cette	any	cette femme (this/that woman)
Plural (both)	ces	any	ces livres (these/those books)

Distinguishing "this" from "that":

Suffix	Meaning	Example
-ci	this (closer)	ce livre-ci (this book here)
-là	that (farther)	ce livre-là (that book there)

Key points:

• Cet is used before masculine singular nouns starting with a vowel or silent h — it is purely for pronunciation, just like the article l'.
• The -ci/-là distinction is optional. In casual speech, most people just use the base form and rely on context or gestures.
• Unlike English, there is only one plural form: ces covers both "these" and "those."

Examples in Context

French	English	Note
Ce livre est intéressant.	This book is interesting.	Masculine, consonant
Cet homme est mon voisin.	This man is my neighbor.	Masculine, before h
Cette fille est ma sœur.	This girl is my sister.	Feminine
Ces chaussures sont belles.	These shoes are beautiful.	Plural
Tu connais cet endroit?	Do you know this place?	Masculine, before vowel
Cette idée est géniale.	This idea is brilliant.	Feminine, before vowel
Je préfère ce livre-ci.	I prefer this book (here).	-ci for proximity
Donne-moi ce livre-là.	Give me that book (there).	-là for distance
Ces jours-ci, il pleut beaucoup.	These days, it rains a lot.	Common expression with -ci
À cette époque, j'habitais à Bordeaux.	At that time, I lived in Bordeaux.	Referring to a past period

Common Mistakes

Using "ce" before a vowel

• Wrong: Ce arbre est grand.
• Right: Cet arbre est grand.
• Why: Before a masculine noun starting with a vowel or silent h, you must use cet for smooth pronunciation.

Adding an article with the demonstrative

• Wrong: Le ce livre
• Right: Ce livre
• Why: Demonstrative adjectives replace the article — you cannot use both together.

Using "cet" with feminine nouns

• Wrong: Cet école (thinking the vowel rule applies to feminine too)
• Right: Cette école
• Why: Cet is only for masculine nouns before vowels. Feminine always uses cette, regardless of what letter follows.

Practice Tips

1. Walk around your room and point to objects, saying ce/cet/cette/ces depending on the gender and number of each item. If you are unsure of the gender, look it up — this reinforces both vocabulary and grammar.
2. Practice the -ci/-là contrast by picking two similar objects and describing which one you prefer: Je préfère cette tasse-ci, pas cette tasse-là.

Related Concepts

• Regular Adjectives — the parent concept covering adjective agreement in French