What are the French demonstrative adjectives?

Four forms of one word: ce before a masculine singular consonant, cet before a masculine singular vowel or mute h, cette before any feminine singular, and ces before every plural. Ce fromage, cet ordinateur, cette école, ces idées.

When do you use cet instead of ce?

Whenever the masculine singular noun begins with a vowel sound: cet arbre, cet été, cet hôtel. It's a pronunciation rule, not a gender rule, so the noun is still masculine and any adjective agrees accordingly: cet arbre est grand.

How do you say this and that in French?

Usually with the same word. Ce livre can mean this book or that book, and context decides. If you genuinely need the contrast, add -ci for the nearer one and -là for the further one: ce livre-ci et ce livre-là.

Is cet the same as cette?

They sound identical but they aren't interchangeable. Cet goes with masculine nouns (cet homme, cet avion) and cette with feminine ones (cette femme, cette idée). Checking the gender in a dictionary is the only reliable way to settle it.

Can you use a demonstrative and an article together?

No. French allows a single determiner per noun, so ce replaces le, un, and mon rather than joining them. Le ce livre and un ce livre are both impossible, just as the this book is in English.

French grammar · Beginner

Demonstrative Adjectives in French: Ce, Cet, Cette, and Ces

Written by Camille Laurent, Lead French Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

The French demonstrative adjectives are ce, cet, cette, and ces. They stand where the article would go and mean this, that, these, or those. French makes no distinction between this and that unless you attach -ci or -là to the noun.

Cet homme habite dans cette maison depuis vingt ans.

That man has lived in this house for twenty years.

What it is

A demonstrative adjective points at a noun instead of merely identifying it. French has one word for the job, spelled four ways depending on what follows it, and it takes the article's place: you say ce livre, never le ce livre.

ce livre, cet arbre, cette lettre, ces photos — this book, this tree, this letter, these photos.

How to spot it

The form is decided by the noun that comes next: its gender, its number, and whether it begins with a vowel sound.

ce garçon — this boy (masculine, starts with a consonant)
cet ami — this friend (masculine, starts with a vowel)
cette histoire — this story (feminine)
ces enfants — these children (plural, either gender)

Cet and cette are pronounced identically. Only the gender of the noun tells you which one to write, which is why this pair is a spelling problem rather than a listening one.

Demonstrative Adjectives Quick Reference

All four forms, and what triggers each one

Form	Used with	Example	English
ce	masculine singular before a consonant	ce fromage	this / that cheese
cet	masculine singular before a vowel	cet ordinateur	this / that computer
cet	masculine singular before a mute h	cet hôpital	this / that hospital
cette	feminine singular, whatever the first letter	cette école	this / that school
ces	every plural, masculine or feminine	ces idées	these / those ideas
… -ci	the nearer of two	cette robe-ci	this dress (here)
… -là	the further of two	cette robe-là	that dress (there)

Common Demonstrative Adjectives Examples in French

The four forms doing their everyday work:

Ce and Cet: Masculine Singular

Ce train part à midi.: This train leaves at noon.
Je n'aime pas ce bruit.: I don't like that noise.
Cet exercice est difficile.: This exercise is hard.
Cet hiver a été très doux.: This winter has been very mild.

Cet appears purely so the phrase stays pronounceable. Ce ordinateur would force two vowels together, which French avoids.

Cette: Feminine Singular

Cette réponse est correcte.: This answer is right.
Tu connais cette chanson ?: Do you know that song?
Cette année, on part en juillet.: This year we're leaving in July.
Cette adresse n'existe plus.: That address doesn't exist any more.

Cette is used before vowels too. Unlike ma and ta, it never shortens, because it already ends in a consonant sound.

Ces: Every Plural

Ces livres sont à moi.: These books are mine.
Regarde ces montagnes.: Look at those mountains.
Ces questions reviennent souvent.: These questions come up often.
Ces vieilles photos me touchent.: These old photos move me.

One plural form serves both genders, so ces amis and ces amies are spelled the same way in front of the noun.

Separating This From That

Je préfère ce modèle-ci.: I prefer this model.
Ce modèle-là est moins cher.: That model is cheaper.
Prends cette valise-ci, pas celle-là.: Take this suitcase, not that one.
Ces jours-ci, je travaille beaucoup.: These days I'm working a lot.

The hyphenated suffix goes on the noun, never on the demonstrative: ce livre-ci, not ce-ci livre.

How the Demonstratives Work

Four written forms, one meaning, and a suffix system you only reach for when the contrast actually matters.

The Noun Chooses the Form

Nothing about the meaning changes the spelling. Gender, number, and the first sound of the following word decide everything, exactly as they do for le, la, and les.

ce jardin, cette terrasse, ces arbres

this garden, this terrace, these trees

Look right, then write.

Cet Exists for the Ear, Not the Grammar

Cet is still masculine singular. It appears only to stop a vowel clash, so it turns up before a vowel or a mute h and nowhere else. Cet homme is masculine despite sounding like cette.

cet appartement, cet hôtel, cet été

this flat, this hotel, this summer

Vowel sound coming → cet.

One Plural Covers Both Genders

Where the singular splits three ways, the plural collapses into ces. This makes the plural the easy half of the paradigm: if the noun is plural, you're done.

ces garçons et ces filles

these boys and these girls

Plural → always ces.

The Demonstrative Replaces the Article

French allows only one determiner in front of a noun. Adding ce means removing le, un, or mon. English works the same way, which is why the this the book is impossible in both languages.

Ce chien aboie beaucoup.

This dog barks a lot.

One determiner per noun.

Add -ci and -là Only for a Real Contrast

Because ce covers both this and that, the suffixes are optional. Use them when you're distinguishing two things in front of you; leave them off the rest of the time, or the sentence starts to sound laboured.

Ce gâteau-ci est au chocolat, ce gâteau-là est à la vanille.

This cake is chocolate, that one is vanilla.

Two options in view → -ci and -là.

Common Mistakes with Demonstrative Adjectives

Incorrect: cette homme — this man

Correct: cet homme — this man

Homme is masculine and starts with a mute h, so it takes cet. Learners hear the identical pronunciation and reach for the feminine spelling.

Incorrect: ce arbre — this tree

Correct: cet arbre — this tree

Ce can't sit in front of a vowel. French inserts the t of cet for the same reason it writes l'arbre rather than le arbre.

Incorrect: ces livre — these books

Correct: ces livres — these books

Ces is plural, so the noun has to be plural too. The written -s is silent, which is why this one slips through in writing but never in speech.

Incorrect: ce-ci livre — this book

Correct: ce livre-ci — this book

The suffix attaches to the noun, not to the demonstrative. Everything between ce and the noun stays untouched: ce petit livre-ci.

Where the Demonstratives Show Up Beyond Pointing

Two of these uses are so frequent that learners meet them long before they meet the grammar term.

Time expressions

French builds most of its this morning, this evening phrases out of a demonstrative rather than a separate word.

ce matin: this morning
ce soir: this evening, tonight
cette semaine: this week
ces jours-ci: these days, lately

Cette nuit is ambiguous by design: it means last night or tonight depending on when you say it.

-ci and -là as near and far

Ci comes from ici (here) and là means there, so the suffixes map onto physical or mental distance in exactly the way you'd expect.

Je prends celui-ci.: I'll take this one.
Cette solution-là ne marche pas.: That solution doesn't work.
à cette époque-là: at that time, back then

In practice -là is far more common than -ci in speech, and it often carries no distance meaning at all.

A demonstrative with an edge to it

Putting ce in front of a person, where a possessive or a name would do, adds distance and often disapproval.

Ce type m'énerve.: That guy gets on my nerves.
Cette histoire ne tient pas debout.: That story doesn't hold up.

The tone comes entirely from the choice of determiner, so it's worth noticing before you use it about someone present.

Demonstrative Adjectives FAQs

What are the French demonstrative adjectives?: Four forms of one word: ce before a masculine singular consonant, cet before a masculine singular vowel or mute h, cette before any feminine singular, and ces before every plural. Ce fromage, cet ordinateur, cette école, ces idées.
When do you use cet instead of ce?: Whenever the masculine singular noun begins with a vowel sound: cet arbre, cet été, cet hôtel. It's a pronunciation rule, not a gender rule, so the noun is still masculine and any adjective agrees accordingly: cet arbre est grand.
How do you say this and that in French?: Usually with the same word. Ce livre can mean this book or that book, and context decides. If you genuinely need the contrast, add -ci for the nearer one and -là for the further one: ce livre-ci et ce livre-là.
Is cet the same as cette?: They sound identical but they aren't interchangeable. Cet goes with masculine nouns (cet homme, cet avion) and cette with feminine ones (cette femme, cette idée). Checking the gender in a dictionary is the only reliable way to settle it.
Can you use a demonstrative and an article together?: No. French allows a single determiner per noun, so ce replaces le, un, and mon rather than joining them. Le ce livre and un ce livre are both impossible, just as the this book is in English.