Mastering Demonstrative Adjectives in French: A Complete Guide

Learning a new language means diving into the little details that make it come alive. Demonstrative adjectives are one of those essential tools that help us point out and specify things in French—just like we do in English with "this," "that," "these," and "those." This blog post will walk you through their formation, usage, agreement rules, special exceptions, and common mistakes to avoid. We’ll wrap it up with practical exercises to test your understanding.

Table of Contents

1.     Introduction

2.     Formation of Demonstrative Adjectives

3.     Usage and Agreement Rules

4.     Common Mistakes to Avoid (Optional)

5.     Exercises (30 Questions with Answers)

1. Introduction

In English, we use words like “this,” “that,” “these,” and “those” to indicate or emphasize particular people or things. These are called demonstrative adjectives. In French, they exist too and must agree with the noun they describe in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).

2. Formation of Demonstrative Adjectives

French has four basic forms of demonstrative adjectives:

English	Masculine Singular	Feminine Singular	Plural (M/F)
This / That	ce / cet	cette	ces
These / Those	ces	ces	ces

3. Usage and Agreement Rules 

What Are Demonstrative Adjectives?

Demonstrative adjectives are words like "this" or "that" in English.

They are used to point to specific nouns—things or people you are talking about.

In English:

●       this cake

●       that dress

●       these shoes

●       those children

In French, these are called "les adjectifs démonstratifs".

They change based on gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the noun that follows.

🧩 The 4 Demonstrative Adjectives:

French Word	Used With...	English Equivalent	Example
ce	Masculine singular noun	this / that	ce gâteau (this cake)
cet	Masculine singular + vowel or silent ‘h’	this / that	cet homme (this man)
cette	Feminine singular noun	this / that	cette robe (this dress)
ces	All plural nouns (m. or f.)	these / those	ces enfants (these children)

Key Points for Beginners:

1.  They come before the noun

Just like in English:

●       ce livre (this book)

●       ces enfants (these children) 

●       cette voiture (this car)

●       cet  homme (this man)

2.  They must match the noun

French is all about agreement, so the demonstrative adjective must match the noun’s gender and number.

📚 More Examples:

Phrase	Explanation
ce livre	this book (masculine singular)
cet animal	this animal (masculine + vowel)
cette idée	this idea (feminine singular)
ces amis	these friends (plural, gender doesn't matter)

🎨 Quick Chart Summary:

Type	French	Example
Masculine Singular	ce	ce garçon
Masculine w/ Vowel	cet	cet homme
Feminine Singular	cette	cette maison
Plural (m or f)	ces	ces filles / ces livres

4. Common Mistakes to Avoid
   

❌ Using "ce" with feminine nouns

 ✅ Use "cette": e.g., cette fille (not ce fille)

❌ Forgetting "cet" before vowels or mute h  ✅ e.g., cet hôtel (not ce hôtel)

❌ Confusing "ce" (this) with "c’est" (it is)  ✅ “Ce” is an adjective; “C’est” is a phrase.

2.   Exercises: 30 Practice Sentences with Answers

✅ Instructions: Fill in the blank with the correct form: ce / cet / cette / ces.

  ______ garçon est intelligent.

✅  Ce

  ______ fille danse bien.

✅  Cette

J’adore ______ émissions.

✅  Ces

Tu préfères ______ acteur ou celui-là ?

✅  Cet

______ hôtel est charmant.

✅  Cette

______ robe est magnifique !

✅  Ces

J’ai acheté ______ pommes ce matin.

✅  Cet

  ______ éléphant est énorme.

✅  Ce

Regarde ______ tableau !

✅  Ces

Elle n’aime pas ______ chaussures.

✅  Cet

______ étudiant est sérieux.

✅  Ce

Nous allons visiter ______ musée.

✅  Cette

Tu connais ______ chanteuse ?

✅  Ce

Il a lu ______ livre hier.

✅  Cet

______ arbre est très vieux.

✅  Ces

______ enfants jouent dans le parc.

✅  Ce

Est-ce que tu veux ______ sandwich ?

✅  Ces

______ université est prestigieuse.

✅  Ce

______ porte est fermée.

✅  Cette

Je n’aime pas ______ films.

✅  Cet

______ idée est originale.

✅  Cette

Ils ont vendu ______ voiture.

✅  Cette

______ acteur-ci est mon préféré.

✅ Cet 

______ chaises sont confortables

✅  Ces

______ animal est dangereux

✅  Cet

______ école est loin d’ici.

✅  Cette

Il a mangé ______ gâteau tout seul.

✅  Ce

______ montagnes sont belles.

✅  Ces

Tu veux ______ glace ou celle-là ?

✅  Cette

Conclusion

Demonstrative adjectives in French might seem tricky at first, but once you understand their formation and how they agree with the noun, they become easy and even fun to use. Keep practicing with real-life examples and the exercises provided above to master this topic and sound more natural in French conversations.