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forms
Demonstrative determiners ('this', 'these', 'that' or 'those') are used to point out things or people.
They are also sometimes called demonstrative adjectives (in French 'adjectifs démonstratifs');
they agree in number and gender with the noun they introduce.
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Masculine singular: ce
Masculine singular
before a vowel sound: cet |
ce tatou
cet écureuil |
this armadillo
this squirrel |
| Feminine singular: cette |
cette chatte |
this cat (female) |
| Plural (masculine or feminine): ces |
ces tatous
ces écureuils |
these armadillos
these squirrels |
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 Note that liaison is compulsory between
ces and words starting with a vowel or a silent h.
uses
In general, demonstrative determiners designate something one can see or show:
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| Tex explique: Ce bassin, c'est Barton Springs. Cette piscine s'appelle Deep Eddy. |
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Tex explains: This pool is Barton Springs. This swimming pool is Deep Eddy. |
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-ci and -là
Demonstrative determiners can designate something close or far away: in order to distinguish between two or more elements,
you can add the suffixes -ci or -là to the demonstrative determiner.
The suffix -ci indicates that the item is relatively near to the speaker;
-là suggests that something is farther away.
In English, they are generally translated by 'this' and 'that':
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| Tex: Tu vois Tammy, cette étoile-ci s'appelle Vénus. Mais ces étoiles-là, c'est la Voie lactée. |
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Tex: See Tammy, this star (here) is called Venus. But those stars (there), are the Milky Way. |
| Tammy: Venus ... la voie lactée ... oh Tex, j'aime bien quand tu me parles d'astronomie! |
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Tammy: Venus ... the Milky Way ... oh, Tex, I like it when you talk to me about astronomy! |
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Listen to the dialogue:
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| Tex et Tammy sont dans le rayon femmes de J. C. Penney. |
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Tex and Tammy are in the women's section of J. C. Penney. |
| Tammy: Qu'est-ce que tu penses de ce maillot-ci? |
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Tammy: What do you think of this bathing suit? |
| Tex: Ah non! Je n'aime pas du tout cette couleur. |
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Tex: Oh no! I don't like this color at all. |
| Tammy: Et ce bikini? Ce sera parfait pour cet été. Tu ne trouves pas? |
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Tammy: What about this bikini? It will be perfect for this summer, don't you think? |
| Tex: Quelle horreur! Ce tissu est complètement démodé! |
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Tex: It's horrible! This fabric is completely outdated! |
| Tammy: Mais Tex, tu n'as aucun goût! Tu crois que ce vieux béret que tu portes est à la mode? |
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Tammy: Tex, you have no taste whatsoever! You think that this old beret you wear is fashionable? |
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