Demonstrative adjective
Definition: Demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, those) are words which indicate a specific noun. In French, they must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify:
The singular demonstrative adjectives ce, cet, and cette can all mean this or that, depending on the context; the plural ces can mean these or those. In order to distinguish between this and that, these and those, you can use the suffixes -ci (here) and -là (there).
SINGULAR | PLURAL | |
MASCULINE | ce / cet | ces |
FEMININE | cette | Ces |
- Ce becomes cet in front of a masculine noun that begins with a vowel or mute h
- Ces is the only plural demonstrative adjective: "cettes" does not exist.
Ce prof parle trop. | This (That) teacher talks too much. |
Cet homme est sympa. | This (That) man is nice. |
Cet étudiant comprend. | This (That) student understands. |
Cette fille est perdue. | This (That) girl is lost. |
Ces livres sont stupides. | These (Those) books are stupid. |
The singular demonstrative adjectives ce, cet, and cette can all mean this or that, depending on the context; the plural ces can mean these or those. In order to distinguish between this and that, these and those, you can use the suffixes -ci (here) and -là (there).
Ce prof-ci parle trop.
This teacher talks too much.Ce prof-là est sympa.
That teacher is nice.
Cet étudiant-ci comprend.
This student understands.Cette fille-là est perdue.
That girl is lost.
Ces fleurs-ci sont plus jolies que ces fleurs-là. These flowers are prettier than those flowers.
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