Demonstrative Adjectives

In French, demonstrative adjectives are used to point out specific people or things. They correspond to "this," "that," "these," and "those" in English. These are placed before noun or adjective.


Singular Demonstrative Adjectives:

1. CE (masculine before a consonant)
   - Ce livre (this/that book)
   - Ce chien est mignon. (This/That dog is cute.)
   
2. CET (masculine before a vowel or mute h)
   - Cet homme (this/that man)
   - Cet arbre est grand." (This/That tree is tall.)

3. CETTE (feminine)
   - Cette maison (this/that house)
   - Cette fille est intelligente." (This/That girl is smart.)

Plural Demonstrative Adjectives:

1. CES (for both masculine and feminine)
   - Ces livres (these/those books)
   - Ces maisons (these/those houses)
   - Ces enfants jouent dans le parc." (These/Those children are playing in the park.)

WHERE TO USE DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES?

. Pointing Out Specific Items or People

  • When you want to indicate a specific item or person among others.

  • Ce livre est intéressant. (This book is interesting.)

2. Distinguishing Between Near and Far

  • To clarify whether you're talking about something close by or further away, you can add -ci (here) or -là (there).

  • Cette maison-ci est vieille, mais cette maison-là est neuve. (This house here is old, but that house there is new.)

3. Clarifying in Context

  • When there could be confusion about which item or person you’re referring to, using demonstrative adjectives helps specify your meaning.

  • Je préfère ces chaussures à celles-là. (I prefer these shoes to those ones.)

4. Emphasizing Specificity

  • When you want to emphasize the specificity of the item or person you are talking about.

  • Cet homme est mon oncle. (That man is my uncle.)

5. Narrative or Descriptions

  • When telling a story or giving a description, demonstrative adjectives help create a clearer picture.

  • Ces jours-là étaient les meilleurs de ma vie.(Those days were the best of my life.)


C'EST/CE SONT

C'est - This is / It is / That is
Ce sont - These are / They are

WHERE TO USE C'EST / CE SONT

  • For people, things, jobs, nationalities.
    • C'est un téléphone.
    • Ce sont des médecins.
  • For opinions
    • C'est bien.
    • Ce sont mes affaires.
There is often confusion between Il est and C'est.
Let try to understand where "Il est" is used.

Il est 

  • For time - Il est minuit.
  • For descriptions. Il est tard.
  • For jobs. Il est vendeur
  • For nationalite. Il est chinois.

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