French Demonstrative Pronouns: A Beginner’s Guide

What Are French Demonstrative Pronouns?

A demonstrative pronoun is a word used to replace a noun while pointing to it. Instead of repeating the noun, you use a pronoun that ‘demonstrates’ or indicates which thing or person you mean. In French, these pronouns change depending on the gender and number of the noun they replace.

Think of them as the French equivalents of ‘this one’, ‘that one’, ‘these ones’ or ‘those ones’ in English.

Simple Examples to Get Started

• J’aime ce gâteau, mais celui-là est meilleur. — I like this cake, but that one is better.
• Regarde ces chaussures. Celles-ci sont plus jolies. — Look at these shoes. These ones are prettier.
• Tu préfères ce livre ou celui-ci ? — Do you prefer this book or this one?

As you can see, the demonstrative pronoun replaces the noun entirely. You do not need to repeat the word ‘gâteau’ or ‘chaussures’ again.

The Key Elements of French Demonstrative Pronouns

French demonstrative pronouns have different forms depending on three things: gender (masculine or feminine), number (singular or plural), and sometimes distance (near or far). Let us look at each element carefully.

The Basic Forms

Here is a simple table showing the main forms:

The suffix -ci means ‘here’ (close to you), and -là means ‘there’ (further away). This is a very useful distinction in everyday French.

Celui, Celle, Ceux, Celles — Without a Suffix

Sometimes, demonstrative pronouns appear without -ci or -là. This happens when they are followed by a relative clause or a preposition phrase.

• Celui qui travaille beaucoup réussit. — The one who works hard succeeds.
• Je préfère celle de ma mère. — I prefer my mother’s (one).
• Ceux que tu connais sont sympas. — The ones you know are nice.

In these cases, the pronoun is still ‘pointing’ to something, but it is defined by the clause that follows it rather than by a suffix.

The Neutral Form: ‘Ceci’, ‘Cela’, and ‘Ça’

There is also a neutral form that does not refer to a specific noun with a gender. These are used for general ideas or unknown objects.

• Ceci est important. — This is important.
• Cela me surprend. — That surprises me.
• Ça va ? — How are you? (literally: Is that going well?)

In everyday spoken French, ça is the most common neutral form. Ceci and cela are more formal or written.

Why French Demonstrative Pronouns Matter

Learning demonstrative pronouns helps you avoid repeating the same nouns over and over. This makes your French sound more natural and fluent. They are also essential for making comparisons, giving opinions, and describing choices — all very common situations in daily conversation.

Without them, you would have to say things like ‘I want the red dress, not the blue dress’ every single time. With demonstrative pronouns, you simply say: Je veux celle-ci, pas celle-là. Much easier!

Comparison with Other Languages

If you already speak English or Spanish, here is how French demonstrative pronouns compare:

English is simpler in this area — it uses ‘this one’ or ‘that one’ for all genders. Spanish is closer to French because it also changes the form based on gender. However, French adds the clear near/far contrast with -ci and -là, which makes it slightly more precise.

A Complete Example

Imagine you are in a French market, looking at two bags:

— Tu préfères quel sac ? — Which bag do you prefer?

— Celui-ci est joli, mais celui-là est moins cher. — This one is pretty, but that one is cheaper.

— Et les robes ? Tu aimes celles-ci ou celles-là ? — And the dresses? Do you like these ones or those ones?

— Je préfère celles de la boutique en face. — I prefer the ones from the shop across the street.

Notice how the pronouns change with each noun: celui for the masculine ‘sac’ (bag), and celles for the feminine plural ‘robes’ (dresses).

Key Takeaways

• French demonstrative pronouns replace nouns while pointing to them.
• They change based on gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).
• Add -ci for something close, and -là for something further away.
• Use celui, celle, ceux, celles without a suffix before relative clauses or prepositions.
• Use ça, ceci, cela for neutral or general ideas — ça is the most common in spoken French.
• Practice with real objects around you to build the habit naturally.

Sources

• Grévisse, M. & Goosse, A. (2011). Le Bon Usage. De Boeck Supérieur.
• Riegel, M., Pellat, J.-C., & Rioul, R. (2009). Grammaire méthodique du français. Presses Universitaires de France.
• Conseil de l’Europe (2001). Cadre européen commun de référence pour les langues. Éditions Didier.