Demonstrative Pronouns and Adjectives (celui, celle, ce, cet, cette)

Demonstrative words in French point to specific things or people — "this," "that," "these," "those," "this one," "that one." French distinguishes between demonstrative adjectives (which modify nouns) and demonstrative pronouns (which replace nouns).

---

Part 1: Demonstrative Adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)

Demonstrative adjectives come before a noun and agree in gender and number:

	Masculine	Feminine
Singular	ce (before consonant) / cet (before vowel or silent h)	cette
Plural	ces	ces

Examples

• ce livre — this/that book
• cet homme — this/that man (masculine, before vowel)
• cet arbre — this/that tree
• cette femme — this/that woman
• cette idée — this/that idea
• ces livres — these/those books
• ces femmes — these/those women

Note: French does not naturally distinguish between "this" and "that." Ce livre can mean either "this book" or "that book." To specify, add -ci (this/here) or -là (that/there) after the noun:

• ce livre-ci — this book (here)
• ce livre-là — that book (there)
• cette maison-ci — this house
• ces fleurs-là — those flowers

---

Sentences with Demonstrative Adjectives

1. Ce film est génial. — This/That film is great.
2. Cet hôtel est cher. — This/That hotel is expensive.
3. Cette robe te va bien. — This/That dress suits you.
4. Ces enfants sont adorables. — These/Those children are adorable.
5. Tu connais cet homme-là ? — Do you know that man?
6. Je préfère cette couleur-ci. — I prefer this colour.

---

Part 2: Demonstrative Pronouns (celui, celle, ceux, celles)

Demonstrative pronouns replace a noun and must agree in gender and number with the noun they replace:

	Masculine	Feminine
Singular	celui	celle
Plural	ceux	celles

These pronouns cannot stand alone — they must be followed by:

• -ci / -là (this one / that one)
• de (possession or origin)
• qui / que / dont / où (relative clause)

---

Celui-ci / Celui-là (This one / That one)

• Quel gâteau veux-tu ? — Celui-ci, s'il vous plaît. — Which cake do you want? — This one, please.
• Ces chaussures sont jolies, mais je préfère celles-là. — These shoes are pretty, but I prefer those ones.
• De tous ces livres, celui-ci est le meilleur. — Of all these books, this one is the best.

Celui de (The one of / The one belonging to)

• Celui de Marie est plus grand. — Marie's (the one belonging to Marie) is bigger.
• Ma voiture est rouge ; celle de mon frère est bleue. — My car is red; my brother's is blue.
• Les résultats de Paris sont meilleurs que ceux de Lyon. — Paris's results are better than Lyon's.