French Demonstrative Adjectives

In French, things get a little trickier. As in English, French, demonstrative adjectives must agree in number with the noun they modify, but they must also agree in gender. Once you’ve determined the number and gender of a noun in French, you can choose the correct demonstrative adjective form to use.

A demonstrative adjective is a word used in English to express this, that, these, or those. Demonstrative adjectives are used before a noun and are determined by the gender and number of what the noun is. Below shows the chart of demonstrative adjectives and examples of how to use them.

Examples:

Ce drapeau représente le Maroc.                    This flag represents Morocco.

J’aime cette idée.                                            I like this idea.

*Christophe habite dans cet appartement.      Christophe lives in this apartment.

Ces repas sont italiens.                                   These meals are italian.

To be more precise of what noun is being referred to when using demonstrative adjectives, one can use –ci and -la to mean “here” and “there” respectively. It’s as if someone was pointing to the noun being talked about. These will be added after the noun and connected with a hyphen.

Je prends ce bateau-là.                                    I am taking that boat there.

Cette télévision-ci est chère.                           This television here is expensive.

Vous allez à cet hôpital-là ?                           You are going to that hospital there?

Elles préfèrent ces chaussures-ci.                   They prefer these shoes here.

A demonstrative adjective is one of the words this, that, these and those used with a noun in English to point out a particular thing or person, for example, this woman, that dog. In French you use ce to point out a particular thing or person. Like all adjectives in French, ce changes its form depending on whether you are referring to a noun that is masculine or feminine, singular or plural.