Ce, cet, cette and ces point to a noun; ça points to a thing without naming it. The demonstrative agrees with the noun: ce or cet for masculine, cette for feminine, ces for plural: ce livre, cet ami, cette maison, ces enfants
Summary
Nothing in this section is at or below. It starts at A1.
| Point | Rule | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form | ce / cet / cette / ces + noun | Ce livre est à moi. / Ces livres sont à moi. | This book is mine. / These books are mine. | |
| Pointing | ce, cette… point to one particular thing or person | Je prends ce pain, s’il vous plaît. | I'll take this bread, please. | |
| The time | ce matin / ce soir / cette semaine: the present period | Je travaille ce soir. | I'm working this evening. | |
| Ça va? | ça: a thing you do not name | Ça va ? | How are you? | |
| Ça | ça after or before a verb, never before a noun | Ça coûte dix euros. | That costs ten euros. | |
| ‑ci and ‑là | noun + ‑ci: near; noun + ‑là: far, or just to point | Je prends ce pull‑ci, pas ce pull‑là. | I'll take this jumper, not that one. | |
| Cet | cet before a masculine noun that starts with a vowel or a mute h | Cet homme est grand. | This man is tall. | |
| Trap | cette for the feminine, even before a vowel: cette amie | Cette amie est drôle. | This friend is funny. | |
| Trap | ça does not go before a noun: ce livre, not ça livre | Ce livre est bon. | This book is good. |
Overview
Nothing in this section is at or below. It starts at A1.
- The demonstrative takes the place of the article: one word before the noun. Ce chat dort. / Ces chats dorment.This cat is asleep. / These cats are asleep.
- One word covers “this” and “that”; ‑ci and ‑là tell the distance. Prends ce livre, ici. / Regarde ce livre, là-bas.Take this book here. / Look at that book over there.
- For the articles the demonstrative replaces, see Articles.
Form: ce, cet, cette, ces
Nothing in this section is at or below. It starts at A1.
| The noun | Form | Example | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | ce | ce garçon | |
| masculine before a vowel or a mute h | cet | cet ami / cet homme | |
| feminine | cette | cette fille / cette amie | |
| plural (masculine and feminine) | ces | ces garçons / ces filles / ces amis |
- Cet depends on the word right after ce: before an adjective that starts with a consonant, it is ce. Cet arbre / Ce grand arbre / Cet ancien hôtelthis tree / this tall tree / this old hotel
- For the gender of nouns, see Noun Gender.
- For adjectives that go before the noun, see Adjectives.
Pronunciation: ce, cet, cette, ces
Nothing in this section is at or below. It starts at A1.
| Form | Pronunciation | Example | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| ce | /sə/ | ce garçon /sə ɡaʁsɔ̃/ | |
| cet | /sɛt/ | cet ami /sɛ tami/ | |
| cette | /sɛt/ | cette amie /sɛ tami/ | |
| ces | /se/ | ces amis /se zami/ |
- Cet ami and cette amie sound the same: only the spelling shows the gender. Cet ami /sɛ tami/ · Cette amie /sɛ tami/this (male) friend / this (female) friend
- For the liaison of ces before a vowel, see Liaison and Elision.
Use: ce, cet, cette, ces
Nothing in this section is at or below. It starts at A1.
| Use | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pointing at what you see | Regarde ce chat ! / J’aime cette chanson. | Look at this cat! / I like this song. | |
| Choosing, buying | Je prends ce pain, s’il vous plaît. / Combien coûtent ces pommes ? | I'll take this bread, please. / How much are these apples? | |
| The present period | Je travaille ce soir. / Nous partons cette semaine. / Il fait chaud cet après-midi. | I'm working this evening. / We're leaving this week. / It is hot this afternoon. | |
| Taking up what was just mentioned | J’ai un chat. Ce chat est noir. | I have a cat. The cat is black. |
Form: ‑ci and ‑là
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| Form | Meaning | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| noun + ‑ci | near the speaker | Je prends ce pull‑ci. | I'll take this jumper. | |
| noun + ‑là | far from the speaker, or just to point | Je prends ce pull‑là. / Passe-moi ce stylo‑là. | I'll take that jumper. / Pass me that pen. | |
| ce / cette + noun + ‑là | a moment in the past | Ce jour‑là, j’étais malade. | That day, I was ill. |
- ‑ci and ‑là are written after the noun, with a hyphen. ce livre‑ci / cette table‑làthis book / that table
The pronoun ça
Nothing in this section is at or below. It starts at A1.
| Use | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greetings and news | Ça va ? — Ça va bien, merci. | How are you? — I'm fine, thanks. | |
| Pointing without naming | Ça, c’est un stylo. / Tu veux ça ? | That is a pen. / Do you want that? | |
| A thing or idea under discussion | Ça coûte dix euros. / Ça sent bon. | That costs ten euros. / That smells good. | |
| A situation in general | Ça dépend. / Ça marche ! | It depends. / Deal! |
- Ça is a pronoun: it stands for a thing and never goes before a noun. Ça me plaît. / Ce livre me plaît.I like that. / I like this book.
- For c’est and ce sont, see C’est and Il est.
Typical errors
Nothing in this section is at or below. It starts at A1.
| Wrong | Right | Rule | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ce amie est drôle. | Cette amie est drôle. | amie is feminine: cette amie | |
| Ce ami est drôle. | Cet ami est drôle. | before a vowel, the masculine is cet | |
| Ce maison est grande. | Cette maison est grande. | the demonstrative agrees with the noun: maison is feminine, so cette maison | |
| Ça livre est bon. | Ce livre est bon. | ça does not go before a noun: ce livre | |
| Ça est bon. | C’est bon. | before the verb être, it is c’est, not ça est | |
| Ce livre là est bon. | Ce livre‑là est bon. | ‑là is joined to the noun with a hyphen |