 | |
| Share / Tweet / Pin Me! | |
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 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
| Masculine | Feminine | ||
| this one, that one | celui | celle | |
| these, those | ceux | 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
En español
Share / Tweet / Pin Me!
This free website is created with love and a great deal of work.
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.