Demonstrative adjectives: CE, CET, CETTE, CES

All these annoying little c words! I mean: ce, cet, cette, ces… can quickly become confusing and overwhelming. After all they all look similar. Does that make them interchangeable? Oh no. Non non non. But don’t worry, during this video, we will change this fog into a clear blue sky of happy easy French speaking.

Today we are focusing on demonstrative adjectives, in other words, this, that, these, those. They’re called demonstrative adjectives: ce, cet, cette, and ces. As you know, everything in French has a gender.

1- Ce

Ce means this or that attached to a masculine singular noun.

Par exemple: Je veux ce chien. I want this dog, or, I want that dog. Because chien is masculin singulier.

Ce gâteau est délicieux. This or that cake is delicious. Because gâteau is masculin singulier.

2- Cet

Cet means this or that attached to a masculine singular noun.

Wait, that’s just like ce! Non. This time your noun starts with a vowel, or a vowel sound and that is h.

Par exemple: Regarde cet arbre! Look at this or that tree! Because arbre is masculin singulier and it starts with the vowel a.

Cet homme est beau mais il n’est pas très gentil. This or that man is handsome but he’s not very nice. Because homme is masculin singulier and it starts with the vowel sound o. Remember you don’t pronounce the h.

3- Cette

Cette means this or that attached to a feminine singular noun.

Par exemple: Je n’aime pas beaucoup cette histoire. I don’t like this or that story very much. Because histoire is féminin singulier.

Je connais bien cette femme. I know this or that woman really well. Because femme is féminin singulier.

4- Ces

Ces means these or those attached to a plural noun.

Here the gender doesn’t matter. You will use ces whether you are referring to something masculine or feminine, as long as it’s plural it works.

Par exemple: Ces enfants sont insupportables. These or those children are insufferable. Because enfants is pluriel.

Je voudrais acheter ces chaussures. I would like to buy these shoes. Because chaussures is pluriel.

Makes sense?

Here’s a quick recap just in case:

Ce: this or that for singulier masculin

Cet: this or that for singulier masculin and starting with a vowel or vowel sound

Cette: this or that for singulier féminin

Ces: these or those for pluriel

Does this help?

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