Demonstrative Adjectives Saint Louis MO

Demonstrative adjectives, shown in Table 1 , precede and agree in number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine or feminine) with the nouns they modify. Demonstrative adjectives indicate or point out the person, place, or thing referred to. Singular demonstrative adjectives can mean either “this” or “that.” Plural demonstrative adjectives can mean either “these” or “those.”

Note the following about demonstrative adjectives:

• The masculine singular demonstrative adjective cet is used before a masculine singular noun that begins with a vowel or vowel sound to prevent a clash of vowel sounds . When speaking, link the final t of cet with the vowel that follows.

  • cet hotel (this/that hotel)

  But:

  • cette actrice (this/that actress)

• Repeat the demonstrative adjective before each noun.

  • cet appartement et cette maison (this appartment and that house)

  • ces hommes et ces femmes (these men and women or these men and those women)

• If you must distinguish between this and that or these and those, for clarity, emphasis, comparison, or contrast, add the tags ci (from the word ici, which means “here”) to mean this and these, and là (from the word là which means “there”) to mean that and those, to the nouns being compared. They are attached with a hyphen, as follows:

  • cette fille-ci et ce garçon-là (this girl and that boy)

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