Learn French Language Guide - Learn French Grammar

Learn French: Demonstrative and Indefinite Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in French:

These words are used in place of things/persons/concepts/places that are pointed to. Their English equivalents are: this/these and that/those.

Grammatically, demonstrative pronouns stand in for the combination (noun + demonstrative adjective). Here are the demonstrative pronouns in French:

Whereas in English, demonstrative pronouns remain invariant, in French they vary with gender and number.

Examples:

Je voulais emprunter la voiture.  Celle qui étais garée au bout de la rue. / I wanted to borrow the car. The one parked at the end of the street.

Il voulait m’emprunter $10 000, ce qui me semblait excessif. /  He wanted to borrow $10,000, which seemed excessive.

In addition to the French pronouns in the table above, a neutral demonstrative pronoun also exists in French: ce.

Ce is used mostly in combination with être and other “fixed expressions”  (ce dont/ this…which, ce que/ this…that) as a grammatical presentation device. 

Examples: 

C’est un chat. / This is a cat.

Ce sont les amis dont je t’ai parlé. / These are the friends whom I spoke to you about. 

Demonstrative pronouns in French can be reinforced with the addition of –ci (here)  and –là (there) (celui-ci, celui-là, celle-ci, celle-là,  ceux-ci, ceux-là). 

Example: 

Celle-ci est arrivée en retard. /  This one here arrived late.

Celui-là, on ne peut pas lui faire confiance. / This one there cannot be trusted.

The reinforced neutral forms of ce are: ceci and cela.  Note that there is no accent on the a of cela.

Simple:         Ce n’est pas possible. / This is not possible.

Reinforced:   Ceci n’est pas possible. / This here is not possible. 

Indefinte Pronouns in French: Pronoms indéfinis

Indefinite pronouns refer to and stand for vague/incompletely/indefinite known objects/persons/categories.

Simple Forms

Note that each of the following French pronouns is variable in number and gender. (m =masculin, f=feminine, s=singular, p=plural).  Some can be used for all numbers and genders, others are specific.

Aucun(e) / no one
Autre(e)(s) / mostly other-thing)
Autrui / only other-person
Certain(e)(s) / some
Chacun(e) / each
Même(s) / same
Nul(le)(s) / none
On / some, it
Personne / no one
Plusieurs / many
Quelqu'un(e) -- Quelques un(e)(s) / someone -- some people
Qui / who
Quiconque / anyone
Rien / nothing
Tel(le)s / such
Tout(e)(s) / all
Un(e)(s) / ones

Examples:

Beaucoup de gens jouent à la lotterie. Certains la gagne.  / Many people play the lottery.  Some win it.

Personne ne peut traverser le pont. / No one can cross the bridge.

Rien ne va plus. / Nothing is going well.

Locutions (short conventional expressions) with indefinite pronomial values (ie can be used as indefinite pronouns):

Autre chose / other thing
Dieu sait qui/quoi/où/lequel… / God knows who/what/where/which one…
Grand-chose / almost nothing
Je ne sais combien / I don’t know how much
La plupart / most
N'importe qui/quoi/où/lequel… / whoever/whatever/whereever/whichever…
On ne sait qui/quoi/où/lequel… / No one knows who/what/where/which one…
Peu de chose / little
Quelque chose / something
Qui de droit / to whom it may concern
Qui/quoi/où… / who, what, where…
Qui/que/où  que ce soit  /  who/what/where…soever
Tout le monde / everybody 

Examples :

Je ne sais combien de soldats sont passés par ici. / I don’t know how many soldiers passed through here.

Tout le monde se repose à Thanskgiving. / Everyone rests on Thanksgiving.

Some adverbs can also be used as indefinite pronouns:

Assez / enough;   Autant / as much;   Beaucoup / much, many;   Davantage / more;   Guère / few, little;   Peu / little;   Tant / so much , so many

Examples:

Vous en savez assez pour passer l’examen. / You know enough to pass the exam.

Il y en a autant que je voulais. / There is as much as I wanted.