By the end of this lesson you'll be able to say "this", "that", "these" and "those" in French, and point out exactly the item you mean.
One word for this and that
English separates "this" from "that". French usually doesn't. One small word covers both, and it goes in front of a noun, in the same place as le or un. It's very useful in a shop, as you'll guess from the lesson on clothes, colours and prices, because you can talk about what's right in front of you.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ce | suh | this, that (masculine)ce pull |
| cet | set | this, that (masculine, before a vowel or silent h)cet ami |
| cette | set | this, that (feminine)cette robe |
| ces | say | these, those (all plurals)ces chaussures |
Like other small words that go before a noun, it matches that noun:
- Ce for a masculine singular noun: ce manteau.
- Cet for a masculine singular noun beginning with a vowel or silent h: cet ami, cet hôtel.
- Cette for any feminine singular noun: cette jupe, cette école.
- Ces for any plural noun: ces pulls, ces robes.
Cet and cette are spelled differently, but they sound exactly the same. Ces links with a z sound before a vowel: ces amis.
Why have cet at all? It keeps two vowel sounds from colliding, in the same way that l' does. You'll need one or two new words for practice:
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| l'homme | LOMM | the man |
| le magasin | luh mah-gah-ZAN | the shop |
| l'article | lar-TEE-kluh | the item (in a shop)Masculine: un article. |
Ce magasin est grand.
This shop is big.
Cet article coûte vingt euros.
This item costs twenty euros.
Cette chemise est chère.
That shirt is expensive.
Ces chaussettes sont jaunes.
These socks are yellow.
Adjectives still match
A demonstrative doesn't change anything else in the sentence. Colours and other adjectives still follow the rules from the lesson on adjective agreement. So you have three things that have to agree: the demonstrative, the noun and the adjective.
- ce pull blanc (masculine)
- cette robe blanche (feminine)
- ces chaussures blanches (feminine plural)
This one or that one: -ci and -là
Most of the time, ce is enough, and the context shows what you mean. When you need to contrast two things, or point at one in particular, add -ci (here, close to me) or -là (there, further away). They join on to the noun with a hyphen.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| -ci | see | this one here (added to the noun)ce pull-ci |
| -là | lah | that one there (added to the noun)ce pull-là |
Ce pull-ci ou ce pull-là ?
This jumper or that jumper?
Je voudrais essayer cette veste-là.
I'd like to try on that jacket.
In everyday speech, -là is more common than -ci, and it doesn't always mean that something is far away. So don't be surprised to hear ce jour-là (that day) or cette robe-là for a dress that's right next to you.
Don't confuse the accents. Là with an accent means "there", and la without one means "the".
Ce or c'est?
The little word ce appears in two places, and they do different jobs.
- Ce before a noun means "this" or "that": ce sac.
- C'est is ce + est, and it means "it is" or "that is": C'est un sac.
If a noun comes right after ce, it's this lesson's word. C'est and ce sont already contain a verb.
Putting it together
Here's a short exchange at a market stall. Notice how the words change with the noun.
- Bonjour. Combien ça coûte, ce chapeau ? (Hello. How much is this hat?)
- Ce chapeau-ci ? Trente euros. (This hat here? Thirty euros.)
- Et cette chemise-là ? (And that shirt there?)
- Vingt-cinq euros. Et ces chaussettes, quatre euros. (Twenty-five euros. And these socks, four euros.)
What's next
Next, the review of this unit brings together everything from the café and the shops, in two written dialogues. After that, the final unit of A1 starts with the lesson on places in town.