How to Teach French Demonstrative Adjectives – A French Teacher’s Guide
Demonstrative adjectives are one of those French grammar topics that looks pretty simple at first.
Students learn four forms: ce, cet, cette, ces
They discover that these four words can mean: this, that, these, or those.
That’s where things get a little more interesting.
When I teach demonstrative adjectives, I focus first on getting students comfortable with the four basic forms. Then I introduce -ci and -là to show them how French can distinguish between “this” and “that” when the context requires it.
Start With the Meaning
I begin with the English words students already know:
this
that
these
those
Then I explain that French doesn’t have four separate demonstrative adjectives to correspond to those four English words.
Instead, French uses:
ce
cet
cette
ces
The form depends on the gender and number of the noun, not on whether we’re talking about “this” or “that.”
That’s the first concept I want students to understand.
Teach the Four Forms Together
I put the four forms side by side:
ce — masculine singular
cet — masculine singular before a vowel or mute H
cette — feminine singular
ces — plural, masculine or feminine
Then I immediately give students examples.
ce garçon
this/that boy
ce stylo
this/that pen
cet homme
this/that man
cet hôtel
this/that hotel
cette femme
this/that woman
cette maison
this/that house
ces stylos
these/those pens
ces voitures
these/those cars
French Demonstrative Adjectives – Ready-to-Use Lesson & PowerPoint
French Demonstrative Adjectives – French Grammar Activity
Emphasize That Demonstrative Adjectives Replace the Article
This is an important little detail.
Students already know that French nouns generally need an article:
un garçon
une maison
les voitures
When we use a demonstrative adjective, it takes the place of that article.
We don’t say:
le ce garçon
or:
une cette maison
We simply say:
ce garçon
cette maison
ces voitures
I find it helpful to tell students that the demonstrative adjective goes directly before the noun, just as the article would.
The Tricky One Is Cet
Most beginners are comfortable with:
ce for masculine singular
and:
cette for feminine singular.
Then they encounter cet.
I explain that cet is still masculine singular.
We use it when the masculine singular noun begins with a vowel or mute H.
For example:
cet homme
cet hôtel
cet ami
I make sure students understand that cet does not mean “this” while ce means “that.”
Both ce and cet can mean either this or that.
The difference is simply grammatical.
ce garçon
cet homme
Both are masculine singular. The noun determines which form we need.
Then I Teach the Plural Form
The plural is much easier:
ces
It works with both masculine and feminine plural nouns.
For example:
ces stylos
these/those pens
ces voitures
these/those cars
ces villes
these/those cities
This is a nice opportunity to remind students that ces does not change according to gender.
There is just one plural form.
Then Comes the Question: How Do You Say “This” vs. “That”?
This is where I usually get the “Wait…what?” reaction from students.
They’ve just learned that:
ce garçon
can mean either:
this boy
or:
that boy.
So what happens when they actually need to distinguish between the two?
French uses -ci and -là.
The basic idea is:
-ci = this / these
-là = that / those
These are added to the noun.
For example:
ce garçon-ci
this boy
ce garçon-là
that boy
cette maison-ci
this house
cette maison-là
that house
ces voitures-ci
these cars
ces voitures-là
those cars
I think this is much easier for students once they have already mastered the four basic demonstrative adjectives.
At this point, my students are ready to play a game and have some fun with their new skill. We always play a round or two of Demonstrative Adjectives Jeopardy!
I Teach -Ci and -Là After the Basic Forms Are Solid
I don’t introduce -ci and -là at the same time as ce, cet, cette, ces.
That’s simply too much information for beginners to process at once.
First, I want students to be able to look at:
___ homme
and immediately know:
cet homme
Then I want them to understand:
cet homme-ci = this man
cet homme-là = that man
The second step makes much more sense once the first step is automatic.
Notice Where -Ci and -Là Go
Students sometimes want to put -ci and -là before the noun.
I point out that they come after the noun:
ce stylo-ci
ce stylo-là
cette ville-ci
cette ville-là
ces livres-ci
ces livres-là
The demonstrative adjective still comes before the noun, and -ci or -là is added after it.
I Practice Gender and Number Before Asking Students to Translate
One of the easiest ways to turn this into a vocabulary exercise instead of a grammar exercise is to immediately ask students to translate sentences.
Instead, I like giving them the noun and asking them to choose the correct demonstrative adjective.
For example:
___ garçon
→ ce garçon
___ homme
→ cet homme
___ maison
→ cette maison
___ voitures
→ ces voitures
This makes them focus on the actual grammatical decision.
Then we can move on to meaning:
ce garçon-ci
ce garçon-là
cette maison-ci
cette maison-là
I Make Students Notice That Context Often Does the Work
Another thing I want beginners to understand is that French doesn’t always need to specify “this” or “that.”
If I say:
J’aime cette maison.
The context can tell us whether I’m talking about this house or that house.
French speakers don’t necessarily need to add -ci or -là every time.
I explain that -ci and -là are there when we actually need to make the distinction clear.
This prevents students from developing the idea that they must always translate every English this or that into a separate French ending.
My Teaching Sequence for Demonstrative Adjectives
When I teach this topic, I generally follow this order:
1. Introduce the four basic forms.
ce, cet, cette, ces
2. Practice gender and number.
Students need to know why they’re choosing each form.
3. Emphasize that demonstrative adjectives replace articles.
They go directly before the noun.
4. Spend extra time on cet.
It is masculine singular, but it is used before a vowel or mute H.
5. Explain that the basic forms can mean either this/that or these/those.
French doesn’t automatically make the distinction.
6. Introduce -ci and -là.
Use them when the distinction needs to be made.
7. Practice in context.
Have students use demonstrative adjectives with vocabulary they already know.
A Few Mistakes I Watch For
There are a few predictable beginner mistakes.
Using ce with every masculine noun
Students may write:
ce homme
instead of:
cet homme.
I remind them that cet is still masculine singular. It’s simply the form we use before a vowel or mute H.
Trying to use gender with ces
Students sometimes want separate masculine and feminine plural forms.
There aren’t any.
ces works for both:
ces garçons
ces filles
Forgetting that the demonstrative replaces the article
Students may try to combine the two.
I remind them:
ce + noun
cette + noun
ces + noun
Not:
le + ce + noun
Assuming ce means “this” and cet means “that”
This is probably the biggest conceptual mistake. The choice between ce and cet has nothing to do with distance. It is determined by the noun.
French Demonstrative Adjectives Resources for Teachers
Demonstrative adjectives are a great topic for practice because students need to make several decisions at once: gender, number, the vowel/mute-H rule, and eventually whether they want to distinguish between this and that.
I’ve created resources to give students structured practice with ce, cet, cette, ces and -ci / -là.
French Demonstrative Adjectives – PowerPoint Jeopardy Game
French Demonstrative Adjectives Bundle
I find that the most important thing is to resist the temptation to teach everything at once. Once students are completely comfortable with ce, cet, cette, ces, adding -ci and -là becomes a much more manageable next step.
