Growing up, I loved watching Friends and, if you ever watch this series in France, keep in mind it is dubbed in French and all episodes are entitled "Celui qui..." For example, the very first episode was “Celui qui déménage”(The one where Monica gets a roommate).
French Articles
How to use demonstratives in French?
By: Céline Bateman-Paris Fri Aug 30 2024
You can use French demonstratives to point out an object or person. Like their English equivalents, “this,” “that,” “these,” “those,” French demonstratives can either be used before a nounNo definition set for nounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (as an adjectiveNo definition set for adjectiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.), or they can replace a noun (like a pronounNo definition set for pronounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.). However, in French, demonstratives must also agreeNo definition set for agreeLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. with the noun they modify or replace in both numberNo definition set for numberLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and genderNo definition set for genderLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.!
The demonstrative adjectives ce, cet, cette, and ces correspond to “this, that, these, those” in English. They come before a noun to designate someone or something that is around.
Regarde cette voiture !
Look at this car!
The demonstrative pronouns celui, celle, ceux, and celles correspond to “the one” and “the ones” in English. They substitute a noun (something or someone) mentioned before.
Tu as vu ce film? Celui avec Marion Cotillard ?
Have you seen this movie? The one with Marion Cotillard?
The indefinite demonstrative pronouns ce, ça, and ceci correspond to “it,” “this,” and “that” in English and stand for an idea or something non-specific.
Ça marche !
That works!
For example, have you ever wondered why you’d say cet été(this summer) but cette année(this year) in French? Or do you find it tricky to choose between ce(this, it), ceux(these, those), or celui(the one)?
Table of Contents
What are demonstrative adjectives in French?
The demonstrative adjectives in French are ce, cet, cette, and ces; they come before the noun and are used to point out an object or person that is near/around the speaker. They are the equivalent of the English “this/these.” Like in English, demonstrative adjectives agree with the French noun in number, but they also agree in gender in French as well.
Number | Gender | Demonstrative Adjective | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
singular | masculine | ce + consonant | ce jardin this garden |
cet + vowelNo definition set for vowelLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. or mute hNo definition set for mute hLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. | cet arbre this tree | ||
feminine | cette | cette fleur this flower | |
plural | masculine or feminine | ces | ces arbres et ces fleurs these trees and these flowers |
Important
By adding -ci(here) or -là(there) to a noun, you can become more specific about how close (with -ci) or far (with -là) someone or something is.
Tu aimes cette chemise-ci?
Do you like this shirt here?
Ou tu préfères cette chemise-là?
Or do you prefer that shirt there?
Now that you know which demonstrative adjective to use, let’s have a look at the demonstrative pronouns! ↴
What are demonstrative pronouns in French?
The French demonstrative pronouns are celui, celle, ceux, and celles and they replace a noun that has been mentioned before. Using demonstrative pronouns enables you to avoid repetition. Have a look at this short conversation over texts:
Bon, on loue quelle maison ? La maison avec la piscine ou la maison dans la montagne ?
So, which house should we rent? The house with a swimming pool or the house in the mountains?
La maison avec la piscine !
The house with the swimming pool!
Je suis d’accord ! Et tu préfères cette maison-ci ou cette maison-là?
I agree! Would you rather rent this house or that house?
Isn't it tedious to read maison, maison, maison, over and over again? Well, a demonstrative pronoun would help here! Do you know which one? It needs to be feminine and singular → So, it’s celle!
Use the demonstrative pronouns celui, celle, ceux, and celles to express "the one," "the ones".
Important
Demonstrative pronouns don’t always substitute a noun that was used before. It can stand for something obvious in the context.
Ceux qui ont un billet coupe-file peuvent passer en premier.
Those with a skip-the-line ticket can go first.
Celui and ceux replace masculine nouns. Celui replaces singular words, while ceux replaces plural ones.
Tu vas acheter un livre ?
Are you going to buy a book?
Non, il n’y a pas celui (= le livre) que je cherche.
No, there isn’t the one I’m looking for.
Celle and celles replace feminine nouns. Celle replaces singular words while celles replaces plural ones.
C’est la robe que tu as achetée samedi ?
Is it the dress you bought on Saturday?
Non, c’est celle (= la robe) que j’ai eue pour mon anniversaire
No, it’s the one I got for my birthday.
→ Practice with this exercise.
Important
Watch out for this common mistake!
❌ Il qui est américain ?
He who is American?
✅ Celui qui est américain ?
The one who is American?
Use celui de, celle de, ceux de, or celles de to express possession.
By simply adding the prepositionNo definition set for prepositionLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. de after demonstrative pronouns, you show possession.
C’est ta voiture ?!
Is it your car?!
Non, c’est celle de mon voisin.
No, it is my neighbor’s.
lit. lit. It is the that of my neighbor.
Ce sont les enfants d’Audrey ?
Are they Audrey’s kids?
Non, ce sont ceux de Justine !
No, they are Justine’s.
lit. lit. No, they are those of Justine.
Important
Note that you must add -ci and -là to celui/ceux, celle/celles when they are not in a relative clauseNo definition set for relative clauseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. introduced by qui or que(the one(s) which), or when they don't express possession.
J’aime ❌ celui, et toi ? → J’aime ✅ celui-là, et toi ?
I like this one, what about you?
Tu veux qu’on prenne ❌ ceux, et toi ? → Tu veux qu’on prenne ✅ ceux-là ?
Should we take these ones?
Use a pronoun + -ci and -là to express distance
Adding -ci(here) to a demonstrative pronoun designates something or someone near you while -là(there) is for something or someone a bit further.
Tu préfères quel pull ?
Which sweater do you prefer?
Celui-ci parce qu’il est doux.
This one here because it’s soft.
Pas celui-là avec la capuche ?
Not this one there with the hood?
Tip
Note that adding -là can sound derogatory.
Elle est folle celle-là !
That woman is nuts!
Important
Ever wondered what the difference between voici(here is) and voilà(there is) was?
Give a gift to your friend and say "Voilà mon cadeau."(There, this is my gift.)
Tell your friend "Voici mon cadeau."(Here, this is my gift.) and then, give the gift!
🪄 Ta-dah!
What are indefinite demonstrative pronouns in French?
The indefinite demonstrative pronouns in French are ce, ceci, cela, and ça. Rather than substituting something specific, they stand for an idea, a situation, or something non-specific. They correspond to the English “it, this, that,” and they can be used as subjectsNo definition set for subjectsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. or objectsNo definition set for objectsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of the sentence. The indefinite demonstrative pronouns are used slightly differently depending on which verb they are used with. With the verb être, only ce can be used, taking the form c'est or ce sont(it is, here is/are). With all other verbs, you will use ceci, cela, or ça. Let’s see how to use indefinite demonstrative pronouns!
How to use the French indefinite demonstrative ‘ce’ with ‘être’?
Use the French indefinite demonstrative pronoun ce to make introductions and to express general ideas. We have seen earlier that ce can also be a demonstrative adjective when followed by a noun. In this case, as a pronoun, ce works to stand for something conceptual or non-specific. As a pronoun, ce can only be used with the verb être! And, remember, this is also the only indefinite demonstrative pronoun that can be used with être. Let's take a look:
To introduce something or someone: c’est and ce sont (it is, here is/are)
Use ce to introduce someone or something. If you are referring to something singular, ce will become c' in front of the third person singular form of être: est. With plurals, ce is used with sont:
c’est + singular
he/she is or this/that is
C’est mon film préféré.
That’s my favorite movie.
ce sont + plural
they are or these/those are
Ce sont mes chiens.
These are my dogs.
Tip
If you want to sound like a true French speaker, you can use c'est with plurals and say, “C’est mes chiens.” This is more informal, but it is a good way to blend in with native speakers!
Important
Watch out for this common mistake!
❌ Il est mon cousin ?
Is this my cousin?
lit. lit. Is he my cousin?
✅ C’est mon cousin ?
Is this my cousin?
If you’d like to learn more about the difference between c'est and il est in French, take a look at our other post!
To express a general idea
Here, we’ll see that ce again used with être, stands for a general idea, a concept, or something you are pointing at.
C’est génial !
It’s awesome!
You can also use ce and c' when you want to highlight or insist on something.
C’est génial ce truc !
That thing is awesome!
lit. lit. It’s amazing, that thing.
C’est sympa que tu sois là !
It’s cool you’re here!
lit. lit. It's cool that you are here.
Important
Watch out for this common mistake!
❌ Ça est beau !
It's beautiful!
lit. lit. It is beautiful!
✅ C’est beau !
It's beautiful!
Remember, only ce can be used with être!
How to use the French indefinite demonstratives ‘cela,’ ‘ça,’ and ‘ceci’?
Just like ce, the indefinite demonstrative pronouns cela, ça, and ceci also stand for an idea or something not specific and are used with verbs that are not être. Unlike English, they are ever so slightly different, but generally interchangeable.
cela (formal)
ça (informal)
that, it
ceci
this, it
Can you make out which words they come from?!
Ce + là → cela → ça
Ce + ci → ceci
Important
As I said, ceci, cela, and ça are mostly considered interchangeable. Note that French speakers use ça much more often. Probably 90 percent of the time, actually! Ceci and cela are more for written French and can sound a bit posh or snobby when speaking!
Cela, ça, and ceci used as subjects
These indefinite demonstrative pronouns can be used as subjects of a sentence:
Tout ceci a l’air intéressant.
It all sounds interesting.
Ça m’écœure.
It is sickening for me.
Cela, ça and ceci used as objects
Or, the demonstratives can also be used as objects of the sentence. Ceci, cela, and ça can stand for things but can’t replace a person:
Tu peux prendre ceci s’il te plaît ?
Can you grab this please?
Donne-leur ça.
Give them this.
Important
Watch out for this common mistake!
❌ Ce me plaît.
I like that.
✅ Ça me plaît.
I like that.
Remember, when the verb is not être, ce cannot be used!
Let’s review what we have learned!
In brief: Top tips for French demonstratives
When using demonstratives in French, keep the following tips in mind:
Ce, cet (m.), cette (f.), ces (plural) + a noun refer to someone or something that is around. They are the equivalent to: "this, that, those."
Celui/ceux (m.) and celle/celles (f.) substitute someone or something that has been mentioned before.
You can add -ci(here) and -là(there) after a noun or a pronoun to specify if they are near or far.
C’est + singular noun and ce sont + plural noun introduce things and people. They also stand for an idea determined by a context.
Basically, ça = cela = ceci(this, it). They are used as a subject or an object with any verb other than être; ça is the most used of all three.
Use ce + être; ce cannot be used with other verbs.
Ready to give it a go? Check out our exercises to practice French demonstrative adjectives and pronouns. Allons-y !
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