Demonstrative Pronouns
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The demonstrative pronoun celuiand its forms mean this one/ that one/ the one or those/these/the ones.
Quel poste préférez-vous? Le poste à Paris ou le poste à Paris ou le Poste à Lyon?
Quel poste préférez-vous? Celui à Paris ou celui à Lyon?
Demonstrative pronouns agree in number and gender with the noun to which they refer.
Masculine
Celui - this one, that one, the one
ceux- these, those and the ones
Feminine
celle - this one, that one, the one
celles- these, the and those ones
Ces deux venduses sont nulles! et celles du grand magasin de ton quartier?
As with demonstrative adj’s, -ci, and -là can be added after a form of celui to distinguish between people or objects that are closer (celle-ci) or farther (celui-là) . A form of calui can also be followed by a relative clause to mean the ones that or the ones whose.
on va à cette réunion-ci ou à celle qui commence plus tôt?
le comptable de Marc, c’est celui que tu aimes bien?
A prepositional phrase can follow a demonstrative pronoun.
Mes économies et celles de Nathalie.
Ce poste est moins intéressant que celui en Belgique.
Adjective that modify forms of celui must agree with them in number and gender. Past participles should agree with forms of celui when appropriate.
Ceux qui sont fainéants ne vont pas être promus.
Leurs employées sont celles que nous avons vues ici hier?
You can use celui-là or celle-là to refer to someone in a familiar or scornful fashion.
Le gérant de Pizza Roma? ah, celui-là!
Elle croit qu’elle sait tout, celle-là?
Ceci and cela are also demonstrative pronouns. Unlike other pronouns, they do not refer to any noun in particular, but rahter to an idea. Ceci draws attention to something that is about to be said; cela refers to something tha has already been said.
Je vous dis ceci: il ne faut pas démissionner.
On écite les dettes. Cela va sans dire.
BOth ceci and cela have a literary tone to them. In everyday French, use ce or ça. use ce before forms of être; use ça before other verbs.
Before a form of être:
ce sont mes cadres, Abdel et Fatih.
C’est un syndicat?
Before any other verb
Ça m’énerve!
C’est can be used in many constructions
C’est + name
Identifies a person
C’est Brandon
C’est + Article/ adjective + noun
Identifies a person or thing
C’est mon vendeur
C’est + disunctive pronoun
Identifies a person
C’est toi qui as trouvé cette formation.
C’est + adjective
describes an idea or expresses an opinion.
trois semaines de vacances! c’est super!
Infinitive + c’est + infinitive
Draws an equivalency between two actions
partir c’est mourir un peu.
Some notes
Forms of Celui cannot stand alone: they must always be followed by -ci/-là a relative clause or a prepositional phrase.
Use a demonstrative pronoun followed by -ci or -là to express, respectively, the english words latter and former.
