The Demonstrative Articles Ce, Cet, Cette, Ces
6.5.1. The Main Idea
Demonstrative articles point to a specific person, place, or thing. In English, they usually mean this, that, these, or those.
ce livre | this book / that book |
cet étudiant | this student / that student |
cette chemise | this shirt / that shirt |
ces chaussures | these shoes / those shoes |
French does not use separate basic words for this and that here. Context usually tells you whether it means this or that.
6.5.2. The Four Forms
ce | this / that, masculine singular |
cet | this / that, masculine singular before a vowel sound |
cette | this / that, feminine singular |
ces | these / those, plural |
6.5.3. Ce
Use ce before a masculine singular noun that begins with a consonant sound.
ce livre | this / that book |
ce café | this / that café |
ce restaurant | this / that restaurant |
ce pantalon | these / those pants |
ce chapeau | this / that hat |
ce cours | this / that class |
6.5.4. Cet
Use cet before a masculine singular noun that begins with a vowel sound.
cet étudiant | this / that student |
cet ami | this / that male friend |
cet animal | this / that animal |
cet examen | this / that exam |
cet appartement | this / that apartment |
Use cet because it is smoother to pronounce than ce before a vowel sound.
6.5.5. Cette
Use cette before a feminine singular noun.
cette leçon | this / that lesson |
cette chemise | this / that shirt |
cette robe | this / that dress |
cette ville | this / that city |
cette université | this / that university |
cette amie | this / that female friend |
6.5.6. Ces
Use ces before any plural noun, masculine or feminine.
ces livres | these / those books |
ces leçons | these / those lessons |
ces étudiants | these / those students |
ces étudiantes | these / those students |
ces chaussures | these / those shoes |
ces amis | these / those friends |
6.5.7. Demonstratives with Clothing
ce chapeau | this / that hat |
cette chemise | this / that shirt |
ce manteau | this / that coat |
cette robe | this / that dress |
ce pantalon | these / those pants |
ces chaussures | these / those shoes |
ces lunettes | these / those glasses |
6.5.8. This One / That One
To emphasize this one or that one, French can add -ci or -là after the noun.
ce livre-ci | this book |
ce livre-là | that book |
cette robe-ci | this dress |
cette robe-là | that dress |
ces chaussures-ci | these shoes |
ces chaussures-là | those shoes |
For beginner French, you can first learn ce, cet, cette, and ces. Add -ci and -là later when you need more precision.
6.5.9. Core Patterns
ce + masculine singular consonant | ce livre |
cet + masculine singular vowel sound | cet étudiant |
cette + feminine singular | cette chemise |
ces + plural | ces chaussures |
noun + -ci | this one |
noun + -là | that one |
6.5.10. Practice
this book |
this student, masculine |
this lesson |
this shirt |
these shoes |
this hat |
these friends |
that dress |
those books |
6.5.11. Answers
this book | ce livre |
this student, masculine | cet étudiant |
this lesson | cette leçon |
this shirt | cette chemise |
these shoes | ces chaussures |
this hat | ce chapeau |
these friends | ces amis |
that dress | cette robe-là |
those books | ces livres-là |
6.5.12. Short Dialogue
A : Tu préfères ce chapeau ou cette casquette ? | A: Do you prefer this hat or this cap? |
B : Je préfère ce chapeau. Il est beau. | B: I prefer this hat. It is beautiful. |
A : Et ces chaussures ? | A: And these shoes? |
B : Elles sont belles aussi. | B: They are beautiful too. |
6.5.13. Checkpoint
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to use ce, cet, cette, and ces to point out specific people, places, and things, and recognize how -ci and -là can clarify this versus that.
6.5.14. Try It Out
Try saying this in French:
This shirt is blue.
These shoes are black.
Possible answer:
← Previous: 6.4. Décrire une tenue