What does ci-dessous mean in French?

It means below, in the sense of further down the page: les tarifs ci-dessous, the prices below. Its opposite is ci-dessus, above. Both are written directions to a reader, so they belong in documents rather than conversation, where plus bas and plus haut are used instead.

Does ci-joint agree with the noun?

It depends on where it sits. Before the noun it is invariable: ci-joint la facture. After the noun it behaves like an adjective and agrees: la facture ci-jointe, les pièces ci-jointes. The same rule covers ci-inclus and ci-annexé.

What's the difference between ci and là?

Ci marks the nearer of two things, là the further one or the default: celui-ci means this one, celui-là means that one. Là also works as an ordinary adverb on its own (viens là), while ci only ever appears attached to something else.

Why is ci always written with a hyphen?

Because it isn't a standalone word in modern French. It's a reduced form of ici that survives only as a bound element, so the hyphen is part of the spelling of ci-dessous, ci-joint, celui-ci, and ce jour-ci. Writing ci dessous with a space counts as an error.

How do I say this one and that one in French?

Use celui-ci and celui-là for masculine nouns, celle-ci and celle-là for feminine ones, and ceux-ci or celles-ci in the plural. If the noun is still in the sentence, the marker attaches to it instead: cette robe-ci, this dress.

French grammar · Intermediate

Prefix Ci in French: Ci-dessous, Ci-joint, and Celui-ci

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

Ci is a shortened form of ici, here, and it never stands alone. Hyphenated to an adverb it points inside a document (ci-dessous, below), hyphenated to a participle it means attached (ci-joint), and hyphenated to a noun or demonstrative it means this one rather than that one (celui-ci, ce mois-ci).

Vous trouverez ci-dessous la liste complète des documents.

You'll find the complete list of documents below.

What it is

Ci is what is left of ici when it stops being a word of its own and becomes a prefix. Everything it attaches to inherits the meaning of here: ci-dessous is here-below, ci-joint is here-attached, celui-ci is the one here. That single idea explains every form on this page.

Les tarifs ci-dessous remplacent ceux de l'année dernière. — The rates below replace last year's.

How to spot it

Look for a hyphen on both sides of the sentence's logic: ci always leans on something. If you see it standing alone as a word, it belongs to a different structure, such as comme ci, comme ça.

le schéma ci-contre — the diagram opposite
Veuillez trouver ci-joint le contrat. — Please find the contract attached.
Je préfère celui-ci. — I prefer this one.
Il rentre ce week-end-ci. — He's coming back this weekend.

The hyphen is not optional and never becomes a space: ci-dessous, never two separate words.

Prefix Ci Quick Reference

The forms built on ci

Form	Meaning	Where you meet it
ci-dessus	above	referring back in a text
ci-dessous	below	introducing a list or table
ci-contre	opposite	facing page or column
ci-après	hereafter, below	contracts and formal writing
ci-joint	attached, enclosed	letters and emails
ci-inclus	enclosed	formal correspondence
celui-ci	this one, the latter	pointing at the nearer thing
ce mois-ci	this month	a noun made specific

Common Prefix Ci Examples in French

The four jobs ci does, with the phrases you'll actually read:

Pointing Inside a Text

Voir le tableau ci-dessus.: See the table above.
Les conditions ci-dessous s'appliquent à tous.: The conditions below apply to everyone.
La photo ci-contre montre le bâtiment.: The photo opposite shows the building.
Les règles ci-après sont obligatoires.: The rules set out below are compulsory.

These are directions to the reader, so they only make sense on a page. In speech you would say plus haut or plus bas instead.

Attaching a Document

Veuillez trouver ci-joint mon curriculum vitae.: Please find my CV attached.
Vous trouverez ci-inclus le justificatif.: You will find the receipt enclosed.
les pièces ci-jointes: the attached documents
Ci-joint la facture du mois de mai.: Attached is May's invoice.

Ci-joint is the standard phrase in professional email, where the attachment is the pièce jointe.

Making a Noun or Pronoun Specific

Celui-ci coûte moins cher.: This one costs less.
Ces deux modèles se ressemblent, mais celle-ci est plus légère.: These two models look alike, but this one is lighter.
Je serai absent cette semaine-ci.: I'll be away this week.
Ces jours-ci, il travaille beaucoup.: These days, he's working a lot.

With a noun, ci hooks onto the noun and not onto the demonstrative: ce livre-ci, not celui-ci livre.

Fixed Expressions

comme ci, comme ça: so-so, not great not terrible
par-ci par-là: here and there
de-ci de-là: hither and thither
Ci-gît un poète.: Here lies a poet. (on a gravestone)

Comme ci, comme ça is the one expression where ci is written as a separate word, with no hyphen at all.

How Prefix Ci Works

One meaning, three attachment points, and a hyphen rule that decides whether what you've written is a word or a mistake.

Ci Is Ici With the First Syllable Removed

Historically ci and ici are the same word, and the shortened form kept the meaning of proximity. Wherever ci appears, something is being marked as the near one: near in the text, near in time, or near in the conversation.

Le paragraphe ci-dessous explique la procédure.

The paragraph below explains the procedure.

ci = here.

Ci + Adverb Gives a Direction on the Page

Combined with dessus, dessous, contre, or après, ci creates a written signpost. These compounds refer to the document you're reading, which is why they belong to written registers and sound odd out loud.

Comme indiqué ci-dessus, le tarif a changé.

As indicated above, the price has changed.

ci-dessus, ci-dessous, ci-contre, ci-après.

Ci + Past Participle Means Enclosed With This

Ci-joint, ci-inclus, and ci-annexé literally say attached here. They behave as an adverb before the noun and as an adjective after it, and that position decides whether they agree.

Ci-joint les documents demandés.

Attached are the requested documents.

Before the noun: invariable. After it: agrees.

Ci Attaches to the Noun, Not to the Determiner

French can't put this and that on the determiner the way English does, so it adds ci or là at the end of the noun phrase. Ce, cet, cette, and ces stay unchanged and the noun carries the hyphenated marker.

Cette voiture-ci est à moi, cette voiture-là est à mon frère.

This car is mine, that car is my brother's.

ce + noun + -ci.

The Hyphen Is Part of the Spelling

Because ci is a prefix rather than a word, the hyphen holds the compound together. Writing it as a space is treated as a spelling error, not a variant, and the same goes for spelling out ici.

Signez le formulaire ci-dessous.

Sign the form below.

Always ci-, never ci or ici.

Common Mistakes with Prefix Ci

Incorrect: Voir la liste ci dessous. — See the list below.

Correct: Voir la liste ci-dessous. — See the list below.

Ci is a prefix, not a word, so it cannot be separated by a space. The hyphen is what makes the compound exist.

Incorrect: Vous trouverez ici-dessous les tarifs. — You'll find the prices below.

Correct: Vous trouverez ci-dessous les tarifs. — You'll find the prices below.

Only the shortened form combines. Ici stays independent: it can end a sentence (je suis ici) but never takes dessus or dessous.

Incorrect: Je préfère celui-ci livre. — I prefer this book.

Correct: Je préfère ce livre-ci. — I prefer this book.

Celui-ci already replaces the noun, so it can't be followed by one. When the noun is there, the marker moves to the end of the noun phrase.

Incorrect: Comme-ci comme-ça. — So-so.

Correct: Comme ci, comme ça. — So-so.

This is the one expression where ci and ça are separate words. Learners who have just learned the hyphen rule tend to over-apply it here.

Ci in Letters, Emails, and Contracts

Most of the ci forms an English speaker will need belong to written French, where they do a job speech handles with gestures.

Ci-joint and its agreement

Placed before the noun, ci-joint is felt as an adverb and stays invariable. Placed after the noun, it becomes an adjective and agrees in gender and number.

Ci-joint la lettre de motivation.: Attached is the cover letter.
Veuillez trouver ci-joint deux exemplaires.: Please find two copies attached.
les photocopies ci-jointes: the attached photocopies
la facture ci-jointe: the attached invoice

Ci-inclus and ci-annexé follow the same rule. Ci-joint is by far the most common of the three.

Navigating a document

Ci-dessus and ci-dessous replace English above and below when referring to a position on the page; ci-après is the formal, legal-sounding variant.

Voir la note ci-dessus.: See the note above.
Remplissez les champs ci-dessous.: Fill in the fields below.
ci-après dénommé le Client: hereinafter referred to as the Client
les dispositions ci-après: the provisions set out below

In speech, use plus haut and plus bas instead: comme je l'ai dit plus haut.

Set phrases where ci is frozen

A handful of expressions preserve ci in shapes the modern rules no longer explain, so they're learned whole.

Ça va ? Comme ci, comme ça.: How are you? So-so.
On trouve des cafés par-ci par-là.: There are cafés here and there.
Ci-gît Molière.: Here lies Molière.

Note the spelling difference: comme ci, comme ça takes no hyphens, while par-ci par-là takes one in each half.

Prefix Ci FAQs

What does ci-dessous mean in French?: It means below, in the sense of further down the page: les tarifs ci-dessous, the prices below. Its opposite is ci-dessus, above. Both are written directions to a reader, so they belong in documents rather than conversation, where plus bas and plus haut are used instead.
Does ci-joint agree with the noun?: It depends on where it sits. Before the noun it is invariable: ci-joint la facture. After the noun it behaves like an adjective and agrees: la facture ci-jointe, les pièces ci-jointes. The same rule covers ci-inclus and ci-annexé.
What's the difference between ci and là?: Ci marks the nearer of two things, là the further one or the default: celui-ci means this one, celui-là means that one. Là also works as an ordinary adverb on its own (viens là), while ci only ever appears attached to something else.
Why is ci always written with a hyphen?: Because it isn't a standalone word in modern French. It's a reduced form of ici that survives only as a bound element, so the hyphen is part of the spelling of ci-dessous, ci-joint, celui-ci, and ce jour-ci. Writing ci dessous with a space counts as an error.
How do I say this one and that one in French?: Use celui-ci and celui-là for masculine nouns, celle-ci and celle-là for feminine ones, and ceux-ci or celles-ci in the plural. If the noun is still in the sentence, the marker attaches to it instead: cette robe-ci, this dress.