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Adjectifs démonstratifs
Demonstrative adjectives (this, that) are used to indicate a specific noun or nouns. In French, they must agree with the noun(s) in number and sometimes gender.
Par exemple…
| Cet arbre est mignon. | This tree is cute. | |
| Ces montagnes sont hautes. | Those mountains are tall. |
Characteristics of demonstrative adjectives
- Used in place of an article, not with one
- Placed directly in front of a noun or an adjective + noun
- Agree with the demonstrated noun in number and sometimes gender
- Demonstrative adjective + noun can be replaced by a demonstrative pronoun
French demonstrative adjectives
| this / that | these / those | |||
| masculine | ce | ces | ||
| masc + vowel | cet | ces | ||
| feminine | cette | ces |
+ There are three singular adjectives:
- Masculine: ce
- Masculine in front of a vowel: cet
- Feminine: cette
+ When a singular demonstrative adjective precedes a masculine noun or adjective that begins with a vowel or h muet, cet is used to avoid a hiatus – learn more.
Par exemple…
| cet homme | this/that man | ||
| cet ancien château | this/that former château |
+ There is only one plural demonstrative adjective: ces.
Cettes does not exist, and neither does cets.
Par exemple…
| ces femmes | these/those women |
| ces hommes | these/those men |
French vs English
French demonstrative adjectives make no distinction between "this" and "that" – ce, cet, and cette can each mean either one. Likewise, ces can mean "these" or "those." When you need to make the distinction, you can attach a suffix to the noun:
Par exemple…
| cette chaise-ci | this chair | |
| ces chaises-lĂ | those chairs | |
| Je vais Ă cet hĂ´tel-ci, pas Ă cette maison-lĂ . | I’m going to this hotel, not that house. |
Demonstrative Adjective Quizzes
Think you’ve got it? Test yourself on French demonstrative adjectives with these fill-in-the-blanks exercises:
Note: You must be logged into your Progress with Lawless French account to take these tests. If you don’t have one, sign up – it’s free!
Related lessons
- Suffix –ci
- Suffix –lĂ
- Introduction to nouns and gender
- Introduction to adjectives
- Demonstrative pronouns
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If you were to say, “I like those ones/these ones”, is that using demonstrative adjectives? And in french would the noun have to be added to the end of the statement?
Finally, what if the things being referred to was a collection of different objects such as “wash those dishes before these ones.” Thank you:)
No, “those ones / these ones” are demonstrative pronouns: J’aime ceux-lĂ / ceux-ci.
If there’s a noun added to the end, then you’re using a demonstrative adjective: J’aime ces livres.
“Wash those dishes before these ones” – those dishes = demonstrative adjective + noun (cette vaisselle-lĂ ), these ones = demonstrative pronoun (celle-ci).