I can point to a thing or a room — ce lit, cet appartement, cette cuisine, ces chaises — and say what I have at home.
This, that, these, those: ce, cet, cette, ces
This, that, these, those: ce, cet, cette, ces
To point to a thing near you and talk about your home, you need demonstratives (ce, cet, cette, ces: this, that, these, those). English “this” never changes; French ce changes with the noun.
Four forms: ce lit (masculine), cette chaise (feminine), ces fenêtres (plural — one form for both genders).
Before a vowel or h muet, the masculine has a special form: cet appartement, cet ascenseur, cet hôtel. It sounds just like cette but is spelled differently — check the gender of the noun.
French ce means both “this” and “that”. To contrast the two, add -ci and -là to the noun: ce lit-ci means “this bed (here)”, ce lit-là means “that bed (over there)”.
Home: un appartement, une maison, un studio. Rooms: la chambre, la cuisine, la salle de bains, le salon; a building has des étages and un ascenseur.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “ce maison” — “cette maison”.
• NOT “cette appartement” — “cet appartement”.
• NOT “ces lit” — “ces lits”.
• NOT “cet chaise” — “cette chaise”: cet is only for masculine nouns.
This, that, these, those: ce, cet, cette, ces
cet sounds like cette, but it's used only with masculine nouns.
| Form | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ce | masculine | ce livre |
| cet | masculine before a vowel and h muet | cet hôtel |
| cette | feminine | cette porte |
| ces | plural, both genders | ces tables |
Rooms and what's in them
Home words are learned in pairs: a room and its furniture.
| Room | What's in it |
|---|---|
| le salon | un canapé |
| la chambre | un lit |
| la cuisine | une table, une chaise |
| la salle de bains | une petite fenêtre |
Lesson notes
This, that, these, those: ce, cet, cette, ces
To point to a thing near you and talk about your home, you need demonstratives (ce, cet, cette, ces: this, that, these, those). English “this” never changes; French ce changes with the noun.
Four forms: ce lit (masculine), cette chaise (feminine), ces fenêtres (plural — one form for both genders).
Before a vowel or h muet, the masculine has a special form: cet appartement, cet ascenseur, cet hôtel. It sounds just like cette but is spelled differently — check the gender of the noun.
French ce means both “this” and “that”. To contrast the two, add -ci and -là to the noun: ce lit-ci means “this bed (here)”, ce lit-là means “that bed (over there)”.
Home: un appartement, une maison, un studio. Rooms: la chambre, la cuisine, la salle de bains, le salon; a building has des étages and un ascenseur.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “ce maison” — “cette maison”.
• NOT “cette appartement” — “cet appartement”.
• NOT “ces lit” — “ces lits”.
• NOT “cet chaise” — “cette chaise”: cet is only for masculine nouns.