#xxx_theevilthbthb_xxx

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warm capeBOT
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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.

bright dock
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The demonstrative adjectives are used to indicate objects: this thing here, that thing there, etc. For example, if I already have an object mentioned, I can use the demonstrative adjective to emphasise it.

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« Cette chaise est belle »
I'm talking about a specific one here

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Because it's an adjective, it'll agree with the noun it's modifying. Kinda like how « beau » becomes « belle » when the thing it is modifying is feminine and not masculine.

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We have got four demonstrative adjectives: « ce, cet, cette, ces ». « ce, cet » are masculine singular; the only difference is that we use « cet » for nouns whose first letter is a vowel. « cette » is feminine singular. « ces » is plural for both masculine and feminine.
Examples:
Ce lit (bed, masculine singular for consonants)
Cet arbre (tree, masculine singular for vowels)
Cette chaise (chair, feminine singular)
Ces lits, ces arbres (beds, masculine plural)
Ces chaises (chairs, feminine plural)

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Onto the demonstrative pronouns. Sometimes, if we've mentioned something, we don't need to repeat it. We can use a pronoun to simply refer to it. For example, in this phrase:
'Adam wanted to leave because he was bored.'
The pronoun 'he' here refers to 'Adam' because we've already mentioned Adam before and so we don't need to repeat it.

Same goes for demonstrative pronouns. Say I've got this sentence:
« J'aime cette chaise mais la chaise que je voulais est verte. (I like this chair but the chair that I wanted is green.) »
Now, we've already mentioned the object before with « cette chaise » so we don't need to repeat it with « la chaise » later on. This is where the demonstrative pronouns come in. We've got four pronouns: celui, celle, ceux, celles ». These correspond to the four agreements: masculine singular, feminine singular, masculine plural, feminine plural. The agreement depends on the noun it is replacing. Here it is feminine singular (la chaise) so we opt for « celle » to make:
« J'aime cette chaise mais celle que je voulais est verte. »

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It should be noted – if you are an English speaker and/or coming at this from an English perspective – that the demonstrative adjectives and pronouns do not carry direction. What I mean is that « cette chaise » can mean 'this chair' OR 'that chair'. What determines which is which is context.

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@mild lily That's a very general response, feel free to read and ask for followup questions if you have any. Might do you some good to read these as well:
https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/demonstrative-adjectives/
https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/demonstrative-pronouns/

Lawless French
Ce, cet, cette, ces - French Demonstrative Adjectives - Lawless Fre...

Ce, cet, cette, and ces are French demonstrative adjectives, used to indicate a specific noun or nouns.

Lawless French
Celui, celle, ceux, celles - French Demonstrative Pronouns - Lawles...

Demonstrative pronouns (celui, celle, ceux, celles) replace a specific noun that was mentioned previously and must agree with it in number and gender.

mild lily
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what would an english equivalent of this be?

bright dock
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If you need a contrast, you'll add -ci/-là to the noun/pronoun

mild lily
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i meant in a more general sense, there isn’t really a direct translation to explain both these concepts right?

bright dock
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« Je veux cette chaise**-ci**, pas cette chaise__-là__ »
'I want this chair, not that chair'

mild lily
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a demonstrative pronoun is a pronoun used to fill in the place a the subject when it’s mentioned again

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an adjective is more like mentioning something?

bright dock
mild lily
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im trying to explain it in my own words to make sure i got it right

bright dock
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Fair enough but 'subject' has a whole different meaning

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so better get it right

bright dock
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like 'this chair'

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I'm emphasising a chair that is near me

mild lily
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ok i got it

bright dock
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in French, « cette chaise » also has the same emphasis but without direction; it can either mean the chair near me or far from me

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but the idea is that I'm talking about a specific kind of chair

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As for the pronoun, I forgot to put in the translation so maybe it'll be clearer for you:

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« J'aime cette chaise mais la chaise que je voulais est verte. »
'I like this chair but the chair that I wanted is green.'

« J'aime cette chaise mais celle que je voulais est verte. »
'I like this chair but the one that I wanted is green.'

mild lily
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ok that makes sense

bright dock
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But again, note the lack of direction

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If you want that, add -ci/-là

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« J'aime bien ces lunettes__-là__ mais celles-ci sont meilleures. »
'I like those glasses but these ones are better.'

bright dock