Language/French/Grammar/Typical-use-of-demonstrative-determiners

French Grammar - Typical use of demonstrative determiners

Demonstrative determiners imply a contrast between the entity referred to by the noun they accompany and other entities of a similar type:

• Cette voiture a fait le tour du monde

This car has been around the world

(The car referred to is implicitly contrasted with other cars which haven't been around the world.)

• A cet instant, la porte s'est brusquement refermée derrière eux

At that moment the door suddenly closed behind them

(The moment referred to is implicitly contrasted with other moments when the door didn't close.)

Note that ce, cet/cette translate both 'this' and 'that', ces translates both 'these' and 'those'. The form -ci can be added to the noun accompanied by ce, etc., to stress proximity in space or time. Proximity in English is part of the meaning of 'this', but it can also be emphasized by stressing 'this' or sometimes by adding 'here' after the noun:

• Cette voiture-ci a fait le tour du monde

THIS car/This car here has been around the world

• Ce mois-ci je ne peux pas vous payer

THIS month I can't pay you

The form là can be added to the noun accompanied by ce, etc., to stress nonproximity in space or time. Non-proximity in English is part of the meaning of 'that', but it can also be emphasized by stressing 'that' or sometimes by adding 'there' after the noun:

• Cette année-là nous ne sommes pas allés à la mer

THAT year we did not go to the sea

• Ce matin-là, je m'étais réveillé très tard

THAT morning I had woken up very late

-ci and -là are necessary if a comparison is made between 'this X' and 'that X':

• Est-ce que vous préférez cette voiture-ci ou cette voiture-là?

Do you prefer this car or that car?

Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Possessive determiners, Omission of the article, Pronominal verbs used as passives & Use of the neutral pronoun le.

Other Lessons

• Pronominal Verbs
• Indefinite and negative noun phrases with adjective complements
• Ambiguity of reference of lui and leur
• How to use half, third and quarter in French
• "de" when an adjective precedes the noun
• Adverbs
• Object pronouns Correctly identifying the direct and indirect objects in English and French
• Adverbs ending in —ment derived from nouns
• Form and uses of tout
• Questions
• Time adverbs
• Common quantifiers
• Constructions which do not allow indirect object pronouns
• Demonstrative determiners
• Adjectives used as nouns