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Pronoms démonstratifs
Demonstrative pronouns replace a specific noun that was mentioned previously. In French, they must agree with the noun(s) in number and gender.
Par exemple…
| Les montagnes d’Asie sont plus hautes que celles d’Europe. | Asia’s mountains are taller than the ones in Europe. | |
| Cet arbre est mignon, mais celui-là offre beaucoup d’ombre. | This tree is cute, but that one offers more shade. |
Characteristics of French demonstrative pronouns
- Replace a demonstrative adjective + noun
- Agree with the noun they replace in gender and number
- Require an antecedent
- Must be used in one of three specific constructions
French demonstrative pronouns
| this one / that one | these / those | |||
| Masculine | celui | ceux | ||
| Feminine | celle | celles |
+ The singular adjectives can both mean "this one" or "that one."
+ The plural adjectives can both mean "these" or "those."
+ When the context does not make it clear whether the nouns are nearby or far away, you can attach a suffix to the pronoun.
Demonstrative pronoun constructions
Demonstrative pronouns cannot stand alone, as in J’aime celui or Ceux sont bons; they must be used in one of three specific constructions.
1) With a suffix
- –ci = here / nearby = "this one" or "these"
- –là = there / far away = "that one" or "those"
Par exemple…
| J’ai acheté deux cafés ; celui-ci est décaféiné. | I bought two coffees; this one is decaffeinated. | |
| Je ne peux pas décider entre cette voiture et celle-là. | I can’t decide between this car and that one. |
2) Followed by a prepositional phrase
Usually starting with de
Par exemple…
| C’est une bonne idée, et j’aime celle de Paul aussi. | That’s a good idea, and I like Paul’s too (literally, "the one of Paul") | |
| J’ai trouvé le livre d’histoire, mais je cherche toujours celui de chimie. | I found the history book, but I’m still looking for the chemistry one. |
3) Followed by a relative pronoun
To introduce a clause
Par exemple…
| Voilà celui dont je t’ai parlé. | Here’s the one I told you about. | |
| Pour ceux qui sont dans le besoin | For the needy (literally, "for those who are in need") |
Demonstrative Pronouns Quiz
Think you’ve got it? Test yourself on French demonstrative pronouns with this fill-in-the-blanks exercise:
Note: You must be logged into your Progress with Lawless French account to take this test If you don’t have one, sign up – it’s free!
Related lessons
- Suffix –ci
- Suffix –là
- Indefinite demonstrative pronouns
- Demonstrative adjectives
- Possessive de
- Introduction to nouns
- Prepositions
- Relative pronouns
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Thank you for the clear post. It’s very common to see demonstrative pronoums followed by the two prepositions “dans” and “à” too.
Thank you for the post. What would be a good translation for this use of “celle”?
Mais ça me fait tout drôle, de t’imaginer avec une autre
J’peux pas être à la fois celle d’avant et celle d’ensuite
Et puisque c’est comme ça faut pas que je me vexe pour un titre
J’me plais à dire que j’suis l’unique… est-ce que c’est ça être utopiste?
The lyrics are from the song “Homéostasie Crânienne,” by Ingrid St-Pierre.
I’d say “the one”, “the woman”, “the girlfriend” – something like that.