French Demonstrative Adjectives: A Complete Guide to Ce, Cet, Cette, and Ces

Key takeaways

• French demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, those) have four forms: ce (masculine singular before consonant), cet (masculine singular before vowel or silent H), cette (feminine singular), and ces (all plural).
• The distinction between ce and cet is purely phonetic: cet is used before vowels and silent H to avoid a clash of sounds (hiatus). Ce garçon but cet homme, cet enfant, cet hôtel.
• French does not distinguish between this and that (or these and those) using different adjective forms. To make this distinction, the suffixes -ci (this, here) and -là (that, there) are added to the noun: ce livre-ci (this book), ce livre-là (that book).
• Demonstrative adjectives agree with the noun they modify in gender and number, but unlike most French adjectives, they always precede the noun.

English speakers learning French often reach for demonstrative adjectives early: wanting to say “this one,” “that restaurant,” or “these exercises” is a basic communicative need. The four-form system (ce, cet, cette, ces) is compact and logical, but the ce/cet distinction before vowels is the detail that produces persistent errors if not addressed directly.

This guide covers all four French demonstrative adjective forms, the ce/cet rule in full, the -ci/-là distinction for this versus that, and the most common mistakes.

The four forms are compact but the ce/cet distinction before vowels produces persistent errors – learners write ce homme or ce hôtel until someone corrects them in context, because the rule is easy to know and easy to override under conversational pressure.

italki has connected 10M+ learners with French teachers since 2007, giving learners access to teachers who catch those errors in real speech and make the correction stick. Find a French tutor and build demonstrative adjective use into early conversations about objects, places, and preferences.

The four forms at a glance

Form	Gender / Number	Before	Example
ce	masculine singular	consonant or aspirated H	ce livre, ce héros
cet	masculine singular	vowel or silent H	cet arbre, cet homme
cette	feminine singular	any sound	cette table, cette idée
ces	all plural	any sound	ces livres, ces idées

English equivalent: All four translate as this, that, these, or those, depending on context.

Ce vs. cet: the vowel rule

The distinction between ce and cet exists for phonetic reasons. When a masculine singular noun begins with a vowel or a silent H, the form cet is used instead of ce to prevent a vowel clash.

Noun starts with	Form	Example
consonant	ce	ce garçon, ce tableau, ce bureau
vowel (a, e, i, o, u)	cet	cet arbre, cet enfant, cet objet, cet immeuble
silent H (H muet)	cet	cet homme, cet hôtel, cet hiver
aspirated H (H aspiré)	ce	ce héros, ce hibou, ce hamster

Silent H vs. aspirated H: The distinction between silent H (H muet) and aspirated H (H aspiré) is a phonological feature of French. With silent H, liaison occurs: cet hôtel (the H is not pronounced, the T of cet links to the vowel). With aspirated H, no liaison occurs: ce héros (the H blocks liaison, so the T of cet is not used and ce is correct instead).

This distinction requires learning which words have aspirated vs. silent H. Common silent H words: homme, heure, hiver, hôtel, histoire. Common aspirated H words: héros, hibou, haricot, honte.

A private French tutor can drill the ce/cet distinction through oral exercises where the learner must choose the correct form before a range of masculine nouns, with immediate correction on aspirated H words. italki has 30,000+ teachers across 150+ languages, including qualified French teachers who work through phonology and grammar together.

Cette: the feminine singular form

Cette is used before all feminine singular nouns regardless of the initial sound.

French	English
cette maison	this/that house
cette idée	this/that idea
cette heure	this/that hour
cette université	this/that university

Note that cette precedes nouns beginning with vowels (cette idée, cette école) without any form change, unlike the masculine where cet is required.

Pronunciation: Cette is pronounced /sɛt/. The T is always pronounced, unlike many final consonants in French.

Ces: the plural form

Ces is the plural form for both masculine and feminine nouns.

French	English
ces livres	these/those books
ces maisons	these/those houses
ces enfants	these/those children
ces idées	these/those ideas

Pronunciation: Ces is pronounced /se/. Before a vowel, liaison occurs: ces enfants = /se-z-ɑ̃fɑ̃/.

Making the this/that distinction with -ci and -là

French demonstrative adjectives on their own do not distinguish between this (near) and that (far). To make this distinction, the suffixes -ci and -là are added directly to the noun with a hyphen:

Suffix	Meaning	Example	English
-ci	this (here, near)	ce livre-ci	this book (here)
-là	that (there, far)	ce livre-là	that book (over there)

French	English
Je préfère cette table-ci.	I prefer this table (the one here).
Regardez cet homme-là.	Look at that man (over there).
Ces chaussures-ci sont plus confortables que ces chaussures-là.	These shoes (here) are more comfortable than those shoes (there).

In practice: Without -ci/-là, the context usually makes the distinction clear. -ci/-là is used when the speaker wants to be explicit about which of two options they are referring to, particularly when comparing or contrasting two things.

Demonstrative adjectives with time expressions

Demonstrative adjectives attach naturally to time-related nouns. In this context, -là often means that rather than near/far, signalling past or future time:

French	English
ce matin	this morning
cet après-midi	this afternoon
ce soir	this evening
cette semaine	this week
ce mois-ci	this month
cette année-là	that year (a particular year in the past/future)
en ce temps-là	in those days, back then
à cette époque-là	at that time

For the adjective forms that describe time and other qualities, the guide to French comparative adjectives shows how demonstrative adjectives combine with comparatives: cette option-ci est meilleure que cette option-là (this option is better than that one).

Common errors

Error	Correction	Reason
ce homme	cet homme	homme begins with silent H, requires cet
ce arbre	cet arbre	arbre begins with vowel, requires cet
cette garçon	ce garçon	garçon is masculine, not feminine
cet maison	cette maison	maison is feminine, takes cette not cet
ce livre-la	ce livre-là	là requires an accent grave

Demonstrative adjectives vs. demonstrative pronouns

Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces) always precede and modify a noun. Demonstrative pronouns (celui, celle, ceux, celles) replace a noun phrase entirely.

Type	Example	English
Adjective	Je veux ce livre.	I want this book.
Pronoun	Je veux celui-ci.	I want this one.

Demonstrative pronouns are covered in full in the guide to French demonstrative pronouns.

Putting demonstrative adjectives into conversation

Demonstrative adjectives appear in some of the most basic conversational contexts: pointing at things in a shop, identifying items, expressing preferences between options. The system has only four forms and one phonetic rule to learn.

italki has French teachers who build demonstrative adjective practice into early lessons through comparison and preference exercises. Book a trial lesson and practice choosing between options using ce, cet, cette, ces with the -ci/-là distinction in a conversation about real things.

FAQ

Why is it cet homme and not ce homme?

Homme begins with a silent H (H muet), which phonetically functions like a vowel onset. Cet is used before vowel sounds to avoid hiatus (two vowel sounds clashing). Ce homme would require the vowel of homme to follow immediately after the vowel-like sound of ce, which French avoids.

What is the difference between ce and cet?

Both are masculine singular demonstrative adjectives. Ce is used before consonants and aspirated H; cet is used before vowels and silent H. The only difference is phonetic: cet prevents a vowel clash before vowel-initial words.

How do you say both “this” and “that” in French?

French demonstrative adjectives on their own are ambiguous between this and that. To specify, add -ci (this, here) or -là (that, there) to the noun: ce livre-ci (this book), ce livre-là (that book).

Does cette change before a vowel?

No. Cette stays cette before all sounds, including vowels: cette idée, cette école, cette université. Only the masculine form changes (from ce to cet) before vowels.

What is the plural of ce, cet, and cette?

All three become ces in the plural, for both masculine and feminine nouns.