Demonstrative adjectives: Ce, Cet, Cette, Ces

What “ce / cet / cette / ces” do

They mean this / that / these / those and come directly before a noun.

• ce + masculine singular noun
• cet + masculine singular noun when the next word starts with a vowel sound
• cette + feminine singular noun
• ces + plural noun (masc. or fem.)

The decision path (fast self-check)

1. Plural? → use ces (no other choice).
2. Singular? → check the noun’s gender: masculine or feminine.
3. Masculine singular:
   • next word starts with a consonant (or h aspiré) → ce
   • next word starts with a vowel (or h muet) → cet

Why “cet” exists: sound, not meaning

Ce and cet are both masculine singular. The difference is only pronunciation.

• ce is hard to say before a vowel, so French switches to cet.

H muet vs h aspiré (the only “tricky” part)

Some words start with h. In French, that h can behave in two ways:

• h muet (silent): it counts like a vowel → use cet
• h aspiré (blocked): it counts like a consonant → use ce

Practical tip: at A1, learn frequent expressions as chunks: cet après-midi, cet e-mail, cet hôtel.

Common time expressions you’ll see a lot

• ce matin, ce soir, ce lundi, ce dimanche
• cet après-midi
• cette semaine, cette année
• ces jours-ci, ces semaines

Don’t confuse “ce” with “c’est”

• ce / cet / cette / ces + noun: ce document, cette réunion
• c’est + description / name: C’est important. C’est mon collègue.

Mini self-test (before you continue)

1. Is the noun plural? If yes: ces.
2. If singular, do you know the noun’s gender?
3. If masculine singular, does the next word start with a vowel sound?
   • Yes → cet
   • No → ce