ces
/se/
ces is the French word for "these" or "those".
ces is a demonstrative adjective used to refer to a specific group of people or things previously mentioned.
How does it change in a sentence?
ces is the plural form of the French demonstrative adjectives ce, cette and cet.
How do you pronounce it?
/se/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often confuse ces (these/those) with ses (his/her/its) because they are homophones.
Did you know?
- While 'ces' means 'these' or 'those', you cannot use it to point at things physically near or far as easily as English speakers use 'this' or 'that'. To be truly specific about distance, French speakers often add -là or -ci to the noun, such as 'ces livres-là' for 'those books over there'.
- If ces precedes a word starting with a 'h aspiré', such as ces héros, the 'z' sound of the liaison is forbidden, and the words remain separate.
- Because ces is used for both masculine and feminine nouns, it is one of the few points in French grammar where a speaker can avoid revealing the gender of a group of objects.
Examples in context
- Ces maisons sont belles.These houses are beautiful.
- Ces chiens obéissantsThese obedient dogs
- Ces amies sont intelligentes.These friends are intelligent.
- Ces trucs-làThese things
- Ces machinsThese thingamajigs
- Ces bidulesThese gadgets
- ces livresThese books
- Ces fleurs sont magnifiques.These flowers are magnificent.
- Je ne comprends pas ces instructions.I do not understand these instructions.
- Ces enfants jouent dans le parc.These children are playing in the park.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Emma are looking at a gift shop window.
- GabrielRegarde ces chaussures, Emma !Look at these shoes, Emma!
- EmmaElles sont très jolies.They are very pretty.
- GabrielEst-ce que ces chaussures sont trop chères ?Are these shoes too expensive?
- EmmaNon, le prix est raisonnable.No, the price is reasonable.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ces, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
