What are the demonstrative pronouns in French?

Celui, celle, ceux and celles, meaning the one or the ones, agreeing with the noun they replace. Alongside them are the neuter forms ce, ceci, cela and ça, which refer to ideas and situations rather than to specific nouns.

Why can't I use celui on its own?

Because celui only points; it needs something to point at. Complete it with -ci or -là (celui-ci), with de (celui de Paul), or with a relative clause (celui que j'ai vu). English this one is self-contained, which is why the requirement is easy to forget.

What's the difference between celui-ci and celui-là?

Celui-ci is the nearer item or the one mentioned most recently; celui-là is further away or mentioned earlier. In formal writing they correspond to the latter and the former. In speech, celui-là is used far more often and frequently means simply that one.

How do I say Marie's in French?

Use de, and put a demonstrative pronoun in front of it if the noun has been left out: le sac de Marie, or celui de Marie. The pronoun agrees with the thing owned, so a bag is celui and a car is celle, regardless of who owns it.

When do I use ce and when do I use ça?

Ce goes in front of être and elides: c'est, c'était, ce sera. Ça goes in front of every other verb and after prepositions: ça dépend, ça m'énerve, avec ça. Cela is the more formal written equivalent of ça.

French grammar · Intermediate

Celui, Celle, Ceux, Celles: French Demonstrative Pronouns

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

The French demonstrative pronouns are celui, celle, ceux and celles, meaning the one or the ones. They agree with the noun they replace and they can never stand alone: each has to be completed by -ci, by -là, by de, or by a relative clause. Alongside them sit the neuter forms ce, ceci, cela and ça, which point at ideas rather than at nouns.

Je prends celui-ci, pas celui que tu m'as montré hier.

I'll take this one, not the one you showed me yesterday.

What it is

A demonstrative pronoun singles out one item from a set: not this book, but this one. French uses celui and its three companions, and they behave unusually in that they can't be used on their own. Something always follows: a suffix that locates the item, a de phrase that identifies its owner, or a relative clause that describes it.

Quel gâteau ? Celui au chocolat. — Which cake? The chocolate one.

How to spot it

Match the pronoun to the gender and number of the noun you've left out, then check that something completes it. Celui alone is never a finished phrase.

Celui-là est trop cher. — That one's too expensive.
celle de ma sœur — my sister's one
ceux qui veulent partir — the ones who want to leave
celles que j'ai choisies — the ones I chose

Celui is built from ce plus lui, which is why it feels like a pointing word and a pronoun rolled together. That also explains why it needs something after it: the pointing has to land somewhere.

Demonstrative Pronouns Quick Reference

The demonstrative pronouns and what completes them

Replaces	Pronoun	With -ci / -là	Example
a masculine singular noun	celui	celui-ci / celui-là	celui de Pierre — Pierre's one
a feminine singular noun	celle	celle-ci / celle-là	celle qui parle — the one speaking
a masculine plural noun	ceux	ceux-ci / ceux-là	ceux que j'ai lus — the ones I read
a feminine plural noun	celles	celles-ci / celles-là	celles de ma mère — my mother's ones
an idea, before être	ce	—	c'est vrai — that's true
an idea, standing alone	cela / ça	ceci for what follows	ça dépend — it depends
an idea, with a relative	ce qui / ce que	—	ce que je veux — what I want

Common Demonstrative Pronouns Examples in French

The four ways a demonstrative pronoun gets completed:

With -ci and -là

Je préfère celui-ci.: I prefer this one.
Celle-là ne me plaît pas.: I don't like that one.
Ceux-ci sont en solde.: These ones are on sale.
Prends celles-là, elles sont plus fraîches.: Take those, they're fresher.

In practice -là is far more common than -ci in speech, and it often means simply that one rather than making a real contrast of distance.

With De, Showing Whose

Ma voiture et celle de mon frère: my car and my brother's
Ce n'est pas mon manteau, c'est celui de Léa.: That's not my coat, it's Léa's.
Les résultats de cette année et ceux de l'an dernier: this year's results and last year's
J'aime bien celles de la vitrine.: I quite like the ones in the window.

This is how French says Léa's, since it has no apostrophe s. The pronoun carries the gender of the thing, so celui de Léa can refer to a man's coat.

With a Relative Clause

Celui qui a écrit ça s'est trompé.: Whoever wrote that was mistaken.
Prends celle que tu veux.: Take whichever one you want.
Ceux dont je t'ai parlé sont arrivés.: The ones I told you about have arrived.
Celles où nous sommes allés étaient fermées.: The ones we went to were closed.

The relative pronoun follows the usual rules: qui before a verb, que before a subject, dont for verbs that take de.

The Neuter Forms

C'est une bonne idée.: That's a good idea.
Cela ne me dérange pas.: That doesn't bother me.
Ça m'est égal.: I don't mind.
Ceci mérite une explication.: This deserves an explanation.

These point at situations and statements rather than at nouns, so they never agree with anything. Ça is the spoken form of cela and is everywhere in conversation.

How Demonstrative Pronouns Work

Agreement, the requirement to be completed, and the split between the gendered and the neuter forms.

They Agree With the Noun They Replace

Choose the form from the noun that has been left out, not from anything else in the sentence. Une chemise gives celle, des chaussures gives celles, un pull gives celui.

Ta chemise et celle de ton frère sont identiques.

Your shirt and your brother's are identical.

celui / celle / ceux / celles.

They Can Never Stand Alone

Unlike English this one, French celui always needs a completion. Add -ci or -là, a de phrase, or a relative clause. Bare celui is ungrammatical in every register.

Celui-là, celui de Marc, celui qui reste.

That one, Marc's one, the one that's left.

celui + -ci / -là / de / qui.

-ci Points Near, -là Points Further Away

The suffixes come from ici and là. In a list, celui-ci refers to the item mentioned most recently and celui-là to the earlier one, which is the reverse of the English latter and former in word order.

Pierre et Paul sont venus ; celui-ci est resté, celui-là est parti.

Pierre and Paul came; the latter stayed, the former left.

-ci = the nearer or the latter.

The Neuter Forms Have No Agreement

Ce, ceci, cela and ça refer to ideas, situations and unnamed things, so there is nothing for them to agree with. They never take a gender or a plural.

Tout cela me semble compliqué.

All of that seems complicated to me.

Idea → ce, cela, ça.

Ce Is Used Before Être, Ça Elsewhere

In front of être, the neuter demonstrative is ce and it elides: c'est, c'était, ce serait. In front of any other verb, or after a preposition, you need cela or ça.

C'est vrai, mais ça ne change rien.

That's true, but it doesn't change anything.

c'est, but ça dépend.

Common Mistakes with Demonstrative Pronouns

Incorrect: Je prends celui. — I'll take that one.

Correct: Je prends celui-là. — I'll take that one.

Celui cannot stand alone. It needs -ci, -là, a de phrase or a relative clause to complete it, and English this one hides that requirement completely.

Incorrect: Ma voiture et celui de mon frère — my car and my brother's

Correct: Ma voiture et celle de mon frère — my car and my brother's

The pronoun agrees with the noun it replaces, which is voiture, not with the owner. A brother's car is still celle.

Incorrect: Ça est vrai. — That's true.

Correct: C'est vrai. — That's true.

In front of être the neuter demonstrative is ce, which elides to c'. Ça is used with every other verb: ça marche, ça dépend, ça m'énerve.

Incorrect: Ce livre est celui-ci livre que je voulais. — This book is the one I wanted.

Correct: Ce livre est celui que je voulais. — This book is the one I wanted.

A demonstrative pronoun replaces the noun, so the noun cannot reappear after it. And with a relative clause following, no -ci or -là is needed.

The Three Constructions Worth Drilling

Locating an item, showing whose it is, and choosing between the neuter forms.

Choosing between two: -ci and -là

To distinguish two items in front of you, or two mentioned in a sentence, pair the two suffixes. In formal writing they translate the latter and the former, in that order.

Celui-ci coûte plus cher que celui-là.: This one costs more than that one.
Entre ces deux robes, je préfère celle-ci.: Between these two dresses, I prefer this one.
J'ai vu Anne et Sophie ; celle-ci était en retard.: I saw Anne and Sophie; the latter was late.
Ceux-là ne servent plus à rien.: Those ones are no use any more.

In everyday speech, celui-là often just means that one with no contrast implied, and it can carry a faintly dismissive tone about a person.

Celui de: how French says Marie's

French has no possessive s, so ownership is expressed with de. When the noun is left out, the demonstrative pronoun holds its place in front of the de.

C'est celui de mon voisin.: It's my neighbour's.
Les enfants de Paul et ceux de Julie: Paul's children and Julie's
Je préfère celles du marché.: I prefer the ones from the market.
celui du haut: the top one

The same frame works with other prepositions and phrases: celui de gauche, celui d'en bas, celle du milieu.

Ce, ceci, cela and ça

Ce goes before être. Cela is the written form for that; ceci points forward at what you're about to say; ça is the spoken form of cela and by far the most frequent of the four.

Ce sont mes voisins.: Those are my neighbours.
Retenez bien ceci : le train part à six heures.: Remember this: the train leaves at six.
Cela dit, je comprends votre point de vue.: That said, I understand your point of view.
Ça ne sert à rien de crier.: There's no point shouting.

Ceci and cela in genuine opposition are now rare and formal. In practice ça covers almost everything, and ceci survives mainly in ceci dit and in front of a colon.

Demonstrative Pronouns FAQs

What are the demonstrative pronouns in French?: Celui, celle, ceux and celles, meaning the one or the ones, agreeing with the noun they replace. Alongside them are the neuter forms ce, ceci, cela and ça, which refer to ideas and situations rather than to specific nouns.
Why can't I use celui on its own?: Because celui only points; it needs something to point at. Complete it with -ci or -là (celui-ci), with de (celui de Paul), or with a relative clause (celui que j'ai vu). English this one is self-contained, which is why the requirement is easy to forget.
What's the difference between celui-ci and celui-là?: Celui-ci is the nearer item or the one mentioned most recently; celui-là is further away or mentioned earlier. In formal writing they correspond to the latter and the former. In speech, celui-là is used far more often and frequently means simply that one.
How do I say Marie's in French?: Use de, and put a demonstrative pronoun in front of it if the noun has been left out: le sac de Marie, or celui de Marie. The pronoun agrees with the thing owned, so a bag is celui and a car is celle, regardless of who owns it.
When do I use ce and when do I use ça?: Ce goes in front of être and elides: c'est, c'était, ce sera. Ça goes in front of every other verb and after prepositions: ça dépend, ça m'énerve, avec ça. Cela is the more formal written equivalent of ça.