Ce, cet, cette, ces: this and these in French

French uses ce, cet, cette, ces before a noun to mean “this”, “that”, “these” or “those”. The form depends on the noun: ce before a masculine singular noun, cet before a masculine singular noun starting with a vowel sound, cette before a feminine singular noun, and ces before any plural noun. Distance is not built into the form; add -ci or -là when you need “this one here” vs “that one there”.

Choose the form from the noun

Like other French determiners, demonstratives agree with the noun they introduce. The speaker’s gender does not matter; the noun’s gender and number do.

Ce film est intéressant. Cette table est libre.
This movie is interesting. This table is free.

If the noun is plural, use ces for both masculine and feminine.

Ces livres sont nouveaux. Ces questions sont importantes.
These books are new. These questions are important.

Ce vs cet before a vowel

Cet is the sound-friendly form before a masculine singular noun that begins with a vowel sound or silent h.

cet homme, cet hôtel, cet ami
this man, this hotel, this friend

The noun is still masculine. The spelling changes only because ce homme would sound awkward.

This vs that: add -ci or -là when needed

French does not normally choose a different word for “this” and “that” before a noun. Context often decides. If you need a contrast, add -ci for “this one here” and -là for “that one there” after the noun.

ce livre-ci et ce livre-là
this book and that book

cette chaise-ci est libre, mais cette chaise-là est réservée.
This chair is free, but that chair is reserved.

Common mistakes

Using ce before a feminine noun

If the noun is feminine singular, use cette.

ce voiture → cette voiture
this car

Forgetting cet before a masculine vowel sound

Before a masculine vowel sound, use cet.

ce ami → cet ami
this friend

Using ces for one noun

Ces is plural only.

ces maison → cette maison
this house

The same noun-gender habit behind le vs la also chooses ce, cet, cette and ces. Fluera practices demonstratives with real nouns and colors, so you learn ce livre, cette maison and ces enfants as whole phrases. Try it when you practice French.

Practice