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French Grammar

Demonstrative Pronouns (celui, celle, ceux, celles)

Replacing nouns to indicate specific items without repetition, using the demonstrative pronouns celui, celle, ceux, celles.

Level B1 Category Grammar

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Lesson Summary

Replacing nouns to indicate specific items without repetition, using the demonstrative pronouns celui, celle, ceux, celles.

Grammar

From Demonstrative Adjectives to Pronouns

Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces) are studied in demonstrative adjectives. The corresponding demonstrative pronouns replace the noun entirely. They agree in gender and number with the noun they replace and are always followed by a complement: the preposition de plus a noun, a relative clause (qui, que, dont, où), or the suffixes ‑ci and ‑là.

The Four Demonstrative Pronouns

Form	Gender / Number	Example
celui	masculine singular	Ce livre est plus intéressant que celui que j’ai lu hier.
celle	feminine singular	Ma voiture est en panne ; je vais prendre celle de mon frère.
ceux	masculine plural	Ces biscuits sont bons, mais je préfère ceux de la boulangerie.
celles	feminine plural	Les chaussures rouges sont jolies, mais celles en noir sont plus confortables.

Obligatory Complements

A demonstrative pronoun cannot stand alone. It must be followed by one of three structures:

celui (celle, ceux, celles) + de + noun : celui de Paul, celle du médecin
celui (celle, ceux, celles) + relative pronoun : celui qui parle, celle que tu vois, ceux dont on a besoin
celui‑ci / celui‑là (compound form) : Tu veux celui‑ci ou celui‑là ?

The compound forms ‑ci (this/these one(s) here) and ‑là (that/those one(s) there) can function without an additional complement and are used to distinguish between two items. The suffix ‑ci refers to the closer object or the one mentioned second; ‑là refers to the farther object or the one mentioned first.

Agreement and Context

The pronoun takes its gender and number from the noun it replaces. The complement that follows provides the necessary context to identify the item. In the case of celui de, the preposition de may contract with the definite article as usual: celui du médecin, celle des voisins. For the full set of relative pronouns, see relative pronouns: qui, que, dont, and où.

Examples

Parmi ces compléments alimentaires, je prends toujours ceux qui sont naturels.
The masculine plural pronoun ceux is followed by the relative clause qui sont naturels.
Cette diététicienne est plus expérimentée que celle que j'ai consultée avant.
The feminine singular pronoun celle is completed by the relative clause que j’ai consultée avant.

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Demonstrative Pronouns (celui, celle, ceux, celles)Replacing nouns to indicate specific items without repetition, using the demonstrative pronouns celui, celle, ceux, celles.Select the correct demonstrative pronoun based on the gender and number of the antecedent and employ it with the appropriate complement (de + noun, relative clause, or ‑ci/‑là).GrammarB1grammarLearn French GrammarFrench GrammarFrom Demonstrative Adjectives to PronounsDemonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces) are studied in demonstrative adjectives. The corresponding demonstrative pronouns replace the noun entirely. They agree in gender and number with the noun they replace and are always followed by a complement: the preposition de plus a noun, a relative clause (qui, que, dont, où), or the suffixes ‑ci and ‑là.