French demonstrative pronouns are the words that replace a noun when you want to say “this one,” “that one,” “these ones,” or “those ones” without repeating the noun itself. In English, those four phrases cover the whole concept. In French, where pronouns change form based on the gender and number of the noun they replace, this means there are four core forms to learn first: celui, celle, ceux, and celles.
Once you understand the forms and the three ways these pronouns attach to other elements, the system becomes straightforward. This lesson walks through all of it.
The Four Core Forms
Demonstrative pronouns agree in gender and number with the noun they replace. They can refer to people or things.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | celui (the one) | ceux (the ones) |
| Feminine | celle (the one) | celles (the ones) |
On their own, these four pronouns can’t stand alone as a complete statement; they always need something attached, either:
- -ci or -là,
- A prepositional phrase, or
- A relative clause.
The three sections below cover each case.
With -ci and -là: “This One” or “That One”
Add -ci to indicate proximity (“this one,” “these ones”) and -là to indicate distance (“that one,” “those ones”). These compound forms are used when you’re making a direct comparison between two items.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | celui-ci / celui-là | ceux-ci / ceux-là |
| Feminine | celle-ci / celle-là | celles-ci / celles-là |
Voici deux modèles. Celui-ci est en coton. Celui-là est en laine. (“Here are two models. This one is cotton. That one is wool.”)
Ces robes sont jolies. Celle-ci est à vendre. Celle-là est déjà vendue. (“These dresses are nice. This one is for sale. That one is already sold.”)
Ces livres sont tous traduits ? Ceux-ci sont en anglais. Ceux-là sont en français. (“Are all these books translated? These ones are in English. Those ones are in French.”)
A secondary function of -ci and -là: in formal or literary French, -ci can mean “the latter” and -là can mean “the former”, referring back to two nouns just mentioned. Because the -ci implies nearness, it’s referring to the noun you most recently mentioned, as below:
J’ai rencontré Pierre et Sophie au café. Celle-ci arrivait tout juste d’un voyage. (“I met Pierre and Sophie at the café. The latter [Sophie] had just returned from a trip.”)
Note also that celui-là (in all its forms) can carry a slightly dismissive or exasperated tone when used to talk about a person not present:
Tu as vu son nouveau responsable ? Oh, celui-là ! Ne m’en parle pas. (“You’ve met her new manager?” “Oh, that guy! Don’t get me started.”)
With a Prepositional Phrase: Possession and Belonging
Demonstrative pronouns frequently pair with de + a noun to indicate whose something is. In this way, they can function like a possessive without using a possessive adjective.
À qui est ce manteau ? C’est celui de Marc. (“Whose coat is this?” “It’s Marc’s.”)
Ma voiture est en panne. Je vais prendre celle de ma sœur. (“My car is broken down. I’ll take my sister’s.”)
Nos résultats sont meilleurs que ceux de l’année dernière. (“Our results are better than last year’s.”)
This construction also works with other prepositions, not just de:
Je préfère la table près de la fenêtre, pas celle contre le mur. (“I prefer the table near the window, not the one against the wall.”)
With a Relative Clause
Demonstrative pronouns are also used to “head” relative clauses, meaning they sit at the front of a clause introduced by qui, que, dont, or où. In English, this usually translates as “the one who,” “the one that,” “those who,” etc.
Celle qui est assise en face de vous est la directrice. (“The one sitting across from you is the director.”)
Ceux qui arrivent en retard devront attendre. (“Those who arrive late will have to wait.”)
Je préfère cette aquarelle à celle qu‘il a achetée. (“I prefer this watercolor to the one he bought.”)
Voici le rapport. Celui dont je t’ai parlé hier. (“Here’s the report. The one I told you about yesterday.”)
The relative clause construction is especially common in both spoken and written French: it’s how you say “the one that…” in almost any context. For a full explanation of how qui, que, dont, and où work, see our lesson on French relative pronouns.
The Demonstrative Pronoun Ce
Ce is an invariable demonstrative pronoun, meaning it doesn’t change for gender or number. It appears most often as the subject of être, in constructions like c’est and ce sont. Unlike celui/celle/ceux/celles, it refers to ideas, situations, or things already introduced in context rather than to a specific, countable noun.
Regarde cette sculpture ! C’est si beau ! (“Look at that sculpture! It’s so beautiful!”)
Oh, les desserts qu’il prépare ! C’est délicieux. (“The desserts he makes! They’re delicious.”)
Notice that the adjective following c’est is always masculine singular, even when the thing being described is feminine or plural. This is because ce refers to the idea or general situation, not to a specific gendered noun.
For a deep dive into when to use c’est versus il est (one of the trickier distinctions in French) see our lesson on il est vs. c’est.
Ceci, Cela, and Ça
Three additional demonstrative pronouns refer to indefinite things or abstract ideas rather than to specific gendered nouns:
| Pronoun | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| ceci | this | Introduces or announces something |
| cela | that | Refers back to something just said |
| ça | this or that | Informal equivalent of cela |
Prenez ceci ! (“Take this!”)
Ne prenez pas cela ! (“Don’t take that!”)
Ceci va vous intéresser. (“This is going to interest you.”)
Ça, c’est une bonne idée. (“Now that’s a good idea.”)
Ceci tends to appear at the beginning of a statement, pointing forward to something about to be said or done; cela looks backward, referring to something already mentioned.
In everyday spoken French, ça does the work of both and is the form you’ll hear most often in conversational French.
French Demonstrative Pronouns vs. Demonstrative Adjectives
It’s worth keeping these two categories clear in your mind as you learn French.
- Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces) modify a noun and must accompany one: ce livre, cette robe, ces étudiants.
- Demonstrative pronouns replace the noun entirely: celui-ci, celle-là, ceux qui…
The distinction mirrors English: “this book” (adjective) versus “this one” (pronoun).
If you want to learn more about demonstrative adjectives, read our lesson on French articles and determiner adjectives.
What to Practice Next
The clearest way to build confidence with French demonstrative pronouns is through comparison tasks: describing two objects and contrasting them using celui-ci and celui-là, or picking out a person in a group using celle qui… or ceux que…. These are natural, conversational structures that come up constantly once you start looking for them.
Mondly is a good tool for this kind of structured practice, especially for learners who want to move beyond grammar rules and start producing French in context. Its conversation-driven lessons in particular give you the kind of repeated, varied exposure that helps pronoun agreement become automatic.
