Key points about demonstrative adjectives in French
Words for this, that, these and those. Demonstrative adjectives are used to point out a specific thing or person or to emphasise something. in French are ce/cet/cette, meaning 'this' or 'that' and ces, meaning 'these' or 'those'.
Ce is used with All nouns in French are either masculine or feminine. singular The name of a thing such as an object, a place or a person. Nouns are often described as naming words., or cet when the noun starts with a vowel or silent ‘h’.
Cette is used with feminine singular nouns.
Ces is used with plural nouns, both masculine and feminine.
How to say ‘this’, ‘that’, ‘these’ and ‘those’
To say ‘this’ or ‘that, use ce, cet or cette. To say ‘these’ or ‘those’, use ces. These are called demonstrative adjectives.
| Masculine (before nouns starting with a consonant) | Masculine (before nouns starting with a vowel or silent ‘h’) | Feminine | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. |
For example:
Ce garçon est très intelligent. – This/That boy is very intelligent.
Cet homme est très beau. – This/That man is very handsome.
Cette fille est très courageuse. – This/That girl is very brave.
Ces enfants sont mignons. – These/Those children are cute.
Demonstrative adjectives - Mini quiz
Choose the correct demonstrative adjective (ce, cet, cette or ces) to complete this sentence:
Je voudrais acheter ______ jupe car elle est très jolie. (I would like to buy this/that skirt because it is very pretty.)
Je voudrais acheter cette jupe car elle est très jolie. - I would like to buy this/that skirt because it is very pretty.
Jupe is feminine, so cette is needed here.
Choose the correct demonstrative adjective (ce, cet, cette or ces) to complete this sentence:
Nous avons déjà regardé ______ film. (We’ve already watched this film.)
Nous avons déjà regardé ce film. - We’ve already watched this film.
Film is masculine, so ce is needed here.
Quiz - Demonstrative adjectives in French
Practise what you've learned about demonstrative adjectives in French with this quiz.
Now you’ve learned about demonstrative adjectives, why not explore reflexive pronouns in French?
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