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Ce, Cet, Cette, Ces
Ce, cet, cette, and ces are the French demonstrative adjectives — the words for "this", "that", "these", and "those" placed before a noun. You choose between them exactly the way you choose between un and une: by the noun’s gender and number, plus one sound rule that turns ce into cet before a vowel sound.
Two things surprise English speakers here. First, French normally does not separate "this" from "that" — ce livre can mean either, and context does the rest. Second, cet and cette are pronounced exactly the same, so the difference between them only exists on paper.
In short
- Ce + masculine noun: ce livre, ce matin.
- Cet + masculine noun starting with a vowel sound: cet ami, cet homme.
- Cette + feminine noun: cette maison, cette idée.
- Ces + any plural noun: ces livres, ces maisons.
ce / cet (masculine)cette (feminine)ces (plural)-ci / -là marker· hover a highlighted word for its label
Four forms, one decision
A demonstrative adjective takes the article’s seat: you say ce village, never le ce village. So the decision is the same one every article forces on you — what is the noun’s gender and number? That information belongs to the noun itself, and if you are unsure how to find it, start with noun gender.
| Noun | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| masculine singular | ce | ce village, ce soir |
| masculine singular before a vowel sound | cet | cet ami, cet été |
| feminine singular | cette | cette ville, cette idée |
| plural, both genders | ces | ces villages, ces villes |
This restaurant is excellent.
— Masculine noun starting with a consonant: plain Ce.
This street is very quiet at night.
— Rue is feminine, so Cette — whatever letter follows.
Cet: the vowel-sound form
French avoids the vowel clash of ce ami the same way it turns le into l’: the masculine form grows a t. That gives you cet before any masculine noun starting with a vowel sound — including a mute h, which is silent and behaves like a vowel. A few h-words are "aspirated": the h blocks the link, and plain ce stays.
Here is the trap: cet and cette sound identical. When you hear "set ami" or "set école", your ear cannot tell you which one to write — only the noun’s gender can.
When ce becomes cet
- Masculine noun starting with a vowel: cet ami, cet arbre, cet été
- Masculine noun starting with a mute h: cet homme, cet hôtel, cet hiver
- Aspirated h blocks the change: ce héros, ce hamburger
- Feminine nouns never take cet: cette école, cette histoire
This hotel is fully booked until September.
— Hôtel is masculine with a mute h, so Cet steps in.
This church dates from the Middle Ages.
— Église starts with a vowel too, but it is feminine: Cette never changes.
Ces: one plural for everything
In the plural, the gender question disappears. Masculine or feminine, vowel or consonant — every plural noun takes ces. The only thing left to check is that the noun really is plural: ces livre is as impossible as les livre.
These shoes are too expensive for me.
— Chaussures is feminine, but the plural does not care: Ces.
These exercises are easier than the others.
— Same form for a masculine plural noun.
This or that? Add -ci and -là
By default, French leaves the this/that distinction to context: ce livre covers both, and most of the time nobody misses the difference. When the contrast matters — two objects side by side, one moment picked out of the past — French attaches -ci ("here", near) or -là ("there", far) to the noun.
In everyday speech, -là is far more common than -ci and often just adds a "that particular one" flavor rather than real distance:
ce jour-là, cette fois-là, ce truc-là
Do you prefer this model or that one?
— The pair -ci / -là makes the near/far contrast explicit.
That year, we were still living in Lyon.
— -là points back to one specific year in the past.
Time expressions: ce matin, cette semaine
French leans on demonstratives where English says "this morning" or "this week": ce matin, cet après-midi, ce soir, ce week-end, cette semaine, cette année. These chunks are worth learning whole — note that "this afternoon" is cet après-midi, vowel rule included.
This weekend, we’re staying home.
— English "this weekend" maps directly onto Ce week-end.
These days, I’m sleeping very badly.
— A fixed expression where -ci keeps the period close to now.
Ce before être is a different word
When ce stands directly before être with no noun attached — c’est, ce sont — it is a pronoun, not a demonstrative adjective, and that construction has its own rules on the c’est vs il est page. And to drop the noun entirely, as in "this one" or "that one", French switches to the demonstrative pronouns celui and celle — a separate topic.
Common mistakes
✗Ce hôtel est très cher.
✓Cet hôtel est très cher.
Hôtel is masculine and starts with a mute h, so ce becomes cet to smooth the vowel clash.
✗Il travaille dans cet école.
✓Il travaille dans cette école.
École is feminine, and cet is strictly masculine. The two sound identical, which is exactly why this spelling trap exists.
✗J’adore ce chaussures.
✓J’adore ces chaussures.
Chaussures is plural, and every plural noun takes ces, whatever its gender.
✗Cet héros est très célèbre.
✓Ce héros est très célèbre.
The h of héros is aspirated, so it blocks the vowel linking: plain ce stays. Compare cet homme, where the h is mute.
Check yourself
1 / 4___ arbre est magnifique en automne.
2 / 4___ voiture est toute neuve.
3 / 4J’ai acheté ___ fleurs au marché.
4 / 4___ matin, il pleuvait.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between cet and cette?
They are pronounced exactly the same. Cet is the masculine form used before a vowel sound (cet ami, cet hôtel); cette is the feminine form for every feminine noun (cette amie, cette maison). Only the noun’s gender decides the spelling.
How do you say this vs that in French?
By default French does not distinguish them: ce livre means both "this book" and "that book". When the contrast matters, attach -ci or -là to the noun: ce livre-ci (this book here) versus ce livre-là (that book there).
When do you use cet instead of ce?
Before a masculine singular noun that begins with a vowel sound, including a mute h: cet arbre, cet été, cet homme. Aspirated-h words keep ce (ce héros), and feminine nouns always take cette.
Is ces "these" or "those"?
Both. Ces is the single plural form for all demonstratives, masculine and feminine alike: ces livres, ces maisons. For an explicit near/far contrast, add -ci or -là: ces jours-ci, ces années-là.
What’s the difference between ce livre and c’est?
In ce livre, ce is a demonstrative adjective attached to a noun. In c’est, ce stands alone as a pronoun before être — a different construction with its own rules, explained in c’est vs il est.
Memory tip
Two questions pick the form. Plural? Then ces, always. Singular? Feminine takes cette; masculine takes ce — or cet when the next word starts with a vowel sound.
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