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Demonstrative Adjectives: ce, cet, cette, ces

FoundationHigherAQA

Practise Demonstrative Adjectives: ce, cet, cette, ces for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). Demonstrative adjectives mean this, that, these or those and agree with the noun.

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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

Foundation

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Higher

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Topic overview

Demonstrative adjectives mean this, that, these or those, and they replace the article rather than joining it.

There are four forms. Ce for masculine singular, cet for masculine singular before a vowel or silent h, cette for feminine singular, and ces for all plurals. So ce livre, cet homme, cette table, ces livres.

Cet exists purely for pronunciation — ce homme would be awkward to say, so cet provides a consonant sound to link to the vowel. To distinguish this from that explicitly, -ci and -là are added to the noun: ce livre-ci means this book here, ce livre-là means that book there.

Revision notes

The four forms

Ce: masculine singular. Cet: masculine singular before a vowel or silent h.

Cette: feminine singular. Ces: all plurals. Ce livre, cet homme, cet arbre, cette table, ces livres, ces tables.

Why cet exists

It is purely for ease of pronunciation.

Ce homme would require an awkward pause between two vowel sounds. Cet provides a consonant to link smoothly into the vowel. Cet and cette sound almost identical, so the spelling must be learned.

Distinguishing this from that

Add -ci for this and -là for that, attached to the noun with a hyphen.

Ce livre-ci — this book here. Ce livre-là — that book there. Without these, the demonstrative covers both meanings and context decides.

Key points

  • Demonstratives mean this, that, these or those.
  • They replace the article.
  • Ce is masculine singular.
  • Cet is used before a vowel or silent h.
  • Cette is feminine singular.
  • Ces is used for all plurals.

Worked examples

Example 1

Give the correct demonstrative adjective for the noun homme. [2 marks]

Working

cet hommeuse cet before the vowel sound
Cet is used because homme begins with a silent h, making cet easier to pronounceexplain the choice

Example 2

Translate: these books. [2 marks]

Working

ces livresuse the plural demonstrative
Ces is used for all plurals regardless of genderexplain the form

Example 3

Explain the difference between ce livre-ci and ce livre-là. [2 marks]

Working

Ce livre-ci means this book here, nearer the speakerexplain the -ci form
Ce livre-là means that book there, further awayexplain the -là form

Common mistakes

  • Using ce before a vowel.

    Cet is needed: cet homme, not ce homme.

  • Confusing cet and cette.

    Cet is masculine; cette is feminine. They sound alike.

  • Keeping the article as well.

    The demonstrative replaces it: ce livre, not ce le livre.

  • Forgetting the hyphen with -ci and -là.

    They attach to the noun: ce livre-ci.

Exam tips

  • Use cet before any vowel sound.
  • Remember the demonstrative replaces the article.
  • Learn cet and cette carefully — they sound the same.
  • Add -ci and -là when the contrast matters.

Key terms

Demonstrative adjective
A word meaning this, that, these or those.
Cet
The masculine form used before a vowel.
-ci
A suffix meaning here, marking this.
-là
A suffix meaning there, marking that.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.