French Demonstrative Pronouns: Rules, Examples & Exercises

Quick Answer: What Are French Demonstrative Pronouns?

French demonstrative pronouns replace nouns to avoid repetition and identify a particular person or thing. The four main forms are celui (masculine singular), celle (feminine singular), ceux (masculine plural), and celles (feminine plural). They generally mean “the one,” “the ones,” “this one,” or “that one,” depending on the context.

For example:

• J’aime ce livre, mais je préfère celui de Marie. — I like this book, but I prefer Marie’s.
• Cette robe est jolie, mais celle-ci est plus belle. — This dress is pretty, but this one is more beautiful.

In this guide, you will learn the rules, forms, examples, common mistakes, and exercises you need to use French demonstrative pronouns correctly.

1. What Are Demonstrative Pronouns in French?

French demonstrative pronouns are called les pronoms démonstratifs. They are used to point out or identify a particular person or thing without repeating its name.

In English, we commonly use expressions such as:

• This one
• That one
• These ones
• Those ones
• The one
• The ones

French uses demonstrative pronouns to perform the same general function.

Example 1

J’aime cette voiture, mais je préfère celle de Paul.

I like this car, but I prefer Paul’s.

Here, celle replaces voiture, so we do not need to repeat the noun.

Example 2

Ces livres sont intéressants, mais ceux-ci sont plus faciles.

These books are interesting, but these ones are easier.

Here, ceux-ci refers to the masculine plural noun livres.

The key rule is simple: a demonstrative pronoun replaces a noun instead of accompanying it.

2. The Four Main French Demonstrative Pronouns

The four basic forms agree in gender and number with the noun they replace.

Gender and number	French pronoun	English meaning
Masculine singular	Celui	The one
Feminine singular	Celle	The one
Masculine plural	Ceux	The ones
Feminine plural	Celles	The ones

Let’s understand each form with examples.

A. Celui — Masculine Singular

Use celui when replacing a masculine singular noun.

Examples:

• Ce livre est intéressant, mais celui de Paul est meilleur. — This book is interesting, but Paul’s is better.
• Mon téléphone est neuf. Celui-ci est ancien. — My phone is new. This one is old.
• Le garçon qui parle est celui que je connais. — The boy who is speaking is the one I know.

In these sentences, celui refers to a masculine singular noun, such as livre, téléphone, or garçon.

B. Celle — Feminine Singular

Use celle when replacing a feminine singular noun.

Examples:

• Cette robe est jolie, mais celle de Marie est plus élégante. — This dress is pretty, but Marie’s is more elegant.
• J’aime cette maison. Celle-ci est très grande. — I like this house. This one is very big.
• La fille qui chante est celle que je préfère. — The girl who is singing is the one I prefer.

Here, celle replaces feminine nouns such as robe, maison, and fille.

C. Ceux — Masculine Plural

Use ceux when replacing masculine plural nouns.

Examples:

• Ces livres sont intéressants. Ceux-ci sont faciles à lire. — These books are interesting. These ones are easy to read.
• Mes amis sont gentils, mais ceux de Paul sont très drôles. — My friends are kind, but Paul’s are very funny.
• Ceux qui travaillent régulièrement progressent. — Those who work regularly make progress.

Here, ceux refers to masculine plural nouns such as livres and amis.

D. Celles — Feminine Plural

Use celles when replacing feminine plural nouns.

Examples:

• Ces fleurs sont belles, mais celles du jardin sont magnifiques. — These flowers are beautiful, but the ones in the garden are magnificent.
• Mes chaussures sont noires, mais celles de Sophie sont blanches. — My shoes are black, but Sophie’s are white.
• Celles qui étudient régulièrement réussissent mieux. — Those who study regularly do better.

Here, celles refers to feminine plural nouns such as fleurs and chaussures.

3. How to Use French Demonstrative Pronouns

The forms celui, celle, ceux, and celles generally need additional information to identify the person or thing being discussed.

There are three common patterns.

Rule 1: Use -ci and -là

Add -ci or -là to distinguish between people or things.

• -ci often means “this one” or “these ones.”
• -là often means “that one” or “those ones.”

French	English
Celui-ci	This one
Celui-là	That one
Celle-ci	This one
Celle-là	That one
Ceux-ci	These ones
Ceux-là	Those ones
Celles-ci	These ones
Celles-là	Those ones

Examples:

1. Je préfère celui-ci.

I prefer this one.

2. Tu veux cette robe-ci ou celle-là ?

Do you want this dress or that one?

3. Ces sacs sont beaux, mais ceux-là sont moins chers.

These bags are beautiful, but those ones are cheaper.

4. Ces chaussures sont jolies. Celles-ci sont plus confortables.

These shoes are pretty. These ones are more comfortable.

Remember that the distinction between -ci and -là can depend on context. It is not always a strict measure of physical distance.

Rule 2: Use de + a Noun

Use celui de, celle de, ceux de, or celles de to express possession or identify something associated with another person or thing.

French structure	Meaning
Celui de Paul	Paul’s one
Celle de Marie	Marie’s one
Ceux de mes amis	My friends’ ones
Celles de ma sœur	My sister’s ones

Examples:

1. Mon livre est intéressant, mais celui de Paul est plus facile à comprendre.

My book is interesting, but Paul’s is easier to understand.

2. Ma voiture est rouge, tandis que celle de Marie est bleue.

My car is red, whereas Marie’s is blue.

3. Mes stylos sont noirs, mais ceux de mon frère sont bleus.

My pens are black, but my brother’s are blue.

4. Ces chaussures sont chères, mais celles de ma sœur sont moins chères.

These shoes are expensive, but my sister’s are cheaper.

The form of the pronoun depends on the noun being replaced, not on the person who owns it.

Rule 3: Use a Relative Pronoun

Demonstrative pronouns can also be followed by a relative clause introduced by words such as qui, que, or dont.

Examples:

Celui qui — The one who / the one that

Celui qui travaille dur réussira.

The one who works hard will succeed.

Celle que — The one that / the one whom

C’est celle que je préfère.

It is the one I prefer.

Ceux qui — Those who / the ones that

Ceux qui parlent français peuvent comprendre cette conversation.

Those who speak French can understand this conversation.

Celles dont — The ones that / the ones whose

Voici les histoires dont je me souviens.

Here are the stories I remember.

Notice that celui, celle, ceux, and celles agree with the noun they replace. The relative pronoun is selected according to its grammatical role in the following clause.

4. Demonstrative Pronouns vs Demonstrative Adjectives

One of the most common difficulties for French learners is distinguishing demonstrative pronouns from demonstrative adjectives, traditionally also called demonstrative adjectives in many learning materials.

The difference is straightforward:

• A demonstrative determiner comes before a noun.
• A demonstrative pronoun replaces a noun.

Demonstrative determiner	Demonstrative pronoun	English meaning
Ce livre	Celui-ci	This book / this one
Cet homme	Celui-là	This man / that one
Cette robe	Celle-ci	This dress / this one
Ces livres	Ceux-là	These books / those ones
Ces fleurs	Celles-ci	These flowers / these ones

Compare these examples

Demonstrative determiner:

J’aime cette robe.

I like this dress.

Here, cette accompanies the noun robe.

Demonstrative pronoun:

J’aime cette robe, mais je préfère celle-ci.

I like this dress, but I prefer this one.

Here, celle-ci replaces the noun robe.

Quick way to remember

If a noun follows the demonstrative word directly, you generally need ce, cet, cette, or ces.

If you want to replace a noun, you generally need celui, celle, ceux, or celles, followed by an appropriate complement, such as -ci, -là, de, or a relative clause.

5. Neuter Demonstrative Pronouns: Ce, Ceci, Cela and Ça

French also uses demonstrative pronouns to refer to an idea, statement, situation, or something not identified by a specific gendered noun.

These forms are especially useful in everyday French.

Pronoun	Typical meaning or use
Ce / c’	This, that, or it in certain constructions
Ceci	This; often used to introduce or point to something
Cela	That or this; often more formal
Ça	That, this, or it; very common in spoken French

Examples:

Ce : C’est intéressant.

That is interesting.

Ceci : Regardez ceci.

Look at this.

Cela : Cela me semble important.

That seems important to me.

Ça : Ça va ?

How are you? / Is everything okay?

These forms are related to demonstrative pronouns, but they do not follow exactly the same patterns as celui, celle, ceux, and celles. In particular, ça is very common in everyday conversation, while cela is often preferred in more formal contexts.

6. Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Using the Wrong Gender

Incorrect: J’aime cette robe, mais celui de Marie est plus joli.

Correct: J’aime cette robe, mais celle de Marie est plus jolie.

Why? Robe is feminine, so the pronoun must be celle.

Mistake 2: Confusing Singular and Plural

Incorrect: J’aime ces livres, mais celui de Paul.

Correct: J’aime ces livres, mais ceux de Paul.

Why? The intended reference is to multiple books, so use the masculine plural form ceux.

Mistake 3: Confusing Pronouns and Determiners

Incorrect: Celui livre est intéressant.

Correct: Ce livre est intéressant.

Or: Celui-ci est intéressant.

Why? Use ce before the noun livre. Use celui-ci when replacing the noun.

Mistake 4: Using a Simple Form Without Identifying the Referent

Learners often write celui or celle without providing the information needed to identify which person or thing they mean.

Instead of simply writing celui, use a suitable structure:

• celui-ci — this one
• celui-là — that one
• celui de Paul — Paul’s one
• celui qui parle — the one who is speaking

The simple forms usually require a complement or a relative clause.

Mistake 5: Choosing the Form According to the Owner

Incorrect: Ma voiture est rouge, mais celui de Marie est bleu.

Correct: Ma voiture est rouge, mais celle de Marie est bleue.

Why? The pronoun replaces voiture, which is feminine, so celle is required regardless of whose car it is.

7. French Demonstrative Pronouns: Practice Exercises

Test your understanding by choosing the correct demonstrative pronoun in each sentence.

Exercise A: Fill in the Blanks

1. J’aime cette robe, mais ______ de Marie est plus belle.
2. Ces livres sont intéressants, mais ______ de Paul sont plus faciles.
3. Mon téléphone est ancien. ______-ci est neuf.
4. Ces fleurs sont belles, mais ______ du jardin sont magnifiques.
5. ______ qui travaillent régulièrement progressent.
6. Je préfère cette voiture à ______ de mon frère.

Exercise B: Choose the Correct Answer

7. Which pronoun replaces a masculine singular noun?

• A. Celle
• B. Ceux
• C. Celui
• D. Celles

8. Which sentence is correct?

• A. Celui robe est jolie.
• B. Cette robe est jolie, mais celle-ci est plus jolie.
• C. Celles livre est intéressant.
• D. Ceux maison est grande.

9. What does ceux-là generally mean?

• A. This one
• B. That one
• C. Those ones
• D. The feminine one

10. Complete the sentence: Mes chaussures sont noires, mais ______ de Sophie sont blanches.

• A. celui
• B. celle
• C. ceux
• D. celles

Exercise C: Translate into French

11. I prefer this one.
12. My car is red, but Marie’s is blue.
13. Those who study regularly make progress.
14. These flowers are beautiful, but those ones are more beautiful.

8. Answers to the Exercises

1. Celle — J’aime cette robe, mais celle de Marie est plus belle.
2. Ceux — Ces livres sont intéressants, mais ceux de Paul sont plus faciles.
3. Celui — Mon téléphone est ancien. Celui-ci est neuf.
4. Celles — Ces fleurs sont belles, mais celles du jardin sont magnifiques.
5. Ceux — Ceux qui travaillent régulièrement progressent.
6. Celle — Je préfère cette voiture à celle de mon frère.
7. C. Celui
8. B. Cette robe est jolie, mais celle-ci est plus jolie.
9. C. Those ones
10. D. Celles

Suggested translations:

11. Je préfère celui-ci. (If referring to a feminine noun: Je préfère celle-ci.)
12. Ma voiture est rouge, mais celle de Marie est bleue.
13. Ceux qui étudient régulièrement progressent.
14. Ces fleurs sont belles, mais celles-là sont plus belles.

9. Frequently Asked Questions

What are the four main French demonstrative pronouns?

The four main forms are celui, celle, ceux, and celles. They agree in gender and number with the noun they replace.

What is the difference between celui and celle?

Celui replaces a masculine singular noun, while celle replaces a feminine singular noun.

For example:

• Le livre de Paul est intéressant. Celui de Marie est aussi intéressant. — Paul’s book is interesting. Marie’s is interesting too.
• La robe de Paul est jolie. Celle de Marie est magnifique. — Paul’s dress is pretty. Marie’s is magnificent.

What is the difference between celui-ci and celui-là?

Celui-ci generally means “this one,” while celui-là generally means “that one.” Similar forms include celle-ci, celle-là, ceux-ci, ceux-là, celles-ci, and celles-là.

Can French demonstrative pronouns stand alone?

The simple forms celui, celle, ceux, and celles generally require additional information, such as -ci, -là, a phrase beginning with de, or a relative clause. Compound forms such as celui-ci can stand on their own.

What is the difference between demonstrative pronouns and demonstrative adjectives?

Demonstrative determiners accompany nouns: ce livre, cette robe, and ces fleurs. Demonstrative pronouns replace nouns: celui-ci, celle-là, and celles de Marie.

Are French demonstrative pronouns difficult to learn?

They become easier once you understand two principles: match the pronoun’s gender and number to the noun it replaces, and learn the common patterns that follow the pronoun. Regular practice with examples will help you use them naturally.

10. Conclusion

French demonstrative pronouns help you speak and write more naturally by avoiding unnecessary repetition. Start by memorizing the four basic forms:

• Celui: masculine singular
• Celle: feminine singular
• Ceux: masculine plural
• Celles: feminine plural

Next, practise using them with -ci, -là, de, and relative pronouns such as qui and que. Remember to distinguish them from demonstrative determiners such as ce, cet, cette, and ces.

The best way to master these forms is to use them in everyday sentences and complete practice exercises regularly.

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