kat.brush

[tropic raptor]

Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

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Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

[steep cipher]

"Ceci" and "cela" mean the same thing, it's like "this", "that", "it", etc. You can also replace these by "ça".

"Celui" means "The one"

It can replace a noun said previously
And if there's no noun said right before, usually it means a person

You can't use "celui" alone (or you can but it makes no sense lol)
You need to give informations (for example with a "proposition subordonnée"):
"Celui qui a choisi cette couleur pour le mur a très mauvais goût"
"The one who picked that color for the wall has bad tastes"

[glossy scroll]

and celui-lá? Is it the same but adding a that?

The one that

[low gazelle]

more like "that one"

there's also "celui-ci" (this one)

[steep cipher]

It means basically the same, but you use it when determining a precise noun
And you don't need any longer the "proposition subordonnée", it stands alone

[glossy scroll]

hmm

well, so in portuguese terms (that is, my native tongue)

celui-ci -> esse/essa/isso aqui
celui-la -> esse/essa/isso aí

Is celui and celui-ci the same thing?

or the -ci and -lá are only used to emphasise?

[steep cipher]

no, celui-ci and celui-là are the same

[glossy scroll]

💀

[steep cipher]

it's not to emphasize, it's to show a precise thing or person

and you don't need to give other informations about it

like when you point something with your finger, you'll say "celui-ci/-là"

[glossy scroll]

hmm

but I can say celui, like "Celui!"

[steep cipher]

Celui-ci is a higher language level, we usually say "celui-là"

[steep cipher]

no sorry 😭

you'll say "Celui-là!"

Celui-là (and -ci) can stand alone, not celui

when you say celui you gotta add information

like "Celui qui ..."

[glossy scroll]

hmm

well, 😂 i guess I got it

[steep cipher]

And celle/ceux/celles are just feminine, plural and feminine plural of celui

[steep cipher]

good luck mate 😂

[glossy scroll]

can I say ceci for that as well? Like pouvez-vous me donner ceci clé?

[steep cipher]

No

ceci stands alone

and so does cela

[glossy scroll]

so celui-lá?

pouvez-vous me donner celui-lá clé

[steep cipher]

❌

[low gazelle]

"this" in this context would be "cette"

give this article a read
https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/demonstrative-adjectives/

[steep cipher]

yeah i guess it will explain better than me lol

[royal frost]

Celui-ci/celui-là replaces the noun, it can't be used alongside it like you did (so "celui-là clé" is wrong, and besides since clé is female, it would be celle-là), you have to say "cette clé(-ci/-là)".

[glossy scroll]

hmm

Well, I understood that in common convo most of folks say ce/cette/cet/ces, but in other to emphasise the distance between two things, you add the -ci/-lá affixes