Pronom démonstratif – Master demonstrative pronouns in French

Key takeaways

• Pronoms démonstratifs replace nouns to point out something or someone.
• The main forms are celui, celle, ceux, celles.
• They agree in gender and number with the noun they replace.
• Often used with suffixes (-ci, -là) or relative clauses for precision.
• Essential for everyday conversation and clarity.

What Are French Demonstrative Pronouns?

A pronom démonstratif is a pronoun that replaces a noun already mentioned, to avoid repetition and to highlight or specify what is being referred to.

Example:

• Tu veux ce livre ou celui-là ? → Do you want this book or that one?

The Forms of French Demonstrative Pronouns

How to Use Demonstrative Pronouns

With -ci and -là (this one / that one)

• Celui-ci est meilleur que celui-là. → This one is better than that one.

With relative clauses

• Celle qui chante est célèbre. → The one who sings is famous.

Without noun repetition

• J’ai deux stylos : prends celui que tu veux. → I have two pens: take the one you want.

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Difference Between Demonstrative Pronouns and Adjectives

• Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces) modify a noun. 
  
  • Ce livre est intéressant. → This book is interesting.
• Demonstrative pronouns (celui, celle, ceux, celles) replace the noun. 
  
  • Celui-ci est intéressant. → This one is interesting.

Examples of Demonstrative Pronouns in Sentences

• Celui que tu préfères est sur la table. → The one you prefer is on the table.
• Celles qui arrivent sont mes cousines. → The ones arriving are my cousins.
• Ceux-là sont plus chers que ceux-ci. → Those ones are more expensive than these ones.
• Celle qui a gagné est très talentueuse. → The one who won is very talented.

Common Mistakes

• Confusing ce/cet/cette/ces (adjectives) with celui/celle/ceux/celles (pronouns).
• Forgetting gender/number agreement.
• Overusing -ci/-là when relative clauses are more natural.

Exercises: Practice Demonstrative Pronouns

1. Fill in the blanks

• Tu connais Marie ? – Oui, je connais ______ qui habite à Lyon.
• J’ai deux chemises. Prends ______ que tu aimes.
• Voici mes photos. Regarde ______-ci.

2. Translate into French

• The one who is speaking is my professor.
• I don’t like these apples, I prefer those ones.
• The ones you chose are beautiful.

3. Correct the mistakes

• ❌ Celui sont mes amis.
• ❌ Celles-ci est très intéressante.

Answers

1. Celle | celle | celles
2. Celle qui parle est mon professeur | Je n’aime pas ces pommes, je préfère celles-là | Ceux que tu as choisis sont beaux
3. Ceux sont mes amis | Celle-ci est très intéressante

Tips for Mastering Demonstrative Pronouns

• Always check gender and number of the noun replaced.
• Use -ci and -là for contrast (this one vs that one).
• Rely on relative clauses for clarity in complex sentences.
• Compare with English equivalents: this one, that one, the one who.

For further practice, explore French verb tenses. To study more effectively, check learning French effectively. And if you’re curious about your journey, see how long it takes to learn French fluently.

Summary

French demonstrative pronouns (celui, celle, ceux, celles) replace nouns to point out specific people or things. They agree with the noun in gender and number and can be used with -ci, -là or relative clauses.

Resources like Lingolia’s guide on demonstrative pronouns and determiners and Kwiziq’s breakdown of celui, celle, ceux, celles provide more depth. With practice, phrases like Celui que tu veux, Celle qui parle, Ceux-ci sont chers will become natural as you learn French with Promova