These pronouns stand in for a noun you've already mentioned, replacing a whole phrase like "Marc's book" with just "his," or "this book" with just "this one." Both agree with the noun they replace.
1. Demonstrative pronouns: celui, celle, ceux, celles
| celui | this/that one (masc. sing.) |
| celle | this/that one (fem. sing.) |
| ceux | these/those (masc. pl.) |
| celles | these/those (fem. pl.) |
2. They always need more
Unlike ce/cette, these pronouns can never stand alone, they're always followed by -ci/-là, de + a noun, or a relative clause (qui/que).
| Quel livre ? Celui-ci. | Which book? This one. |
| Le livre de Marc, pas celui de Julie. | Marc's book, not Julie's. |
| Je préfère celui qui est sur la table. | I prefer the one that's on the table. |
3. Ceci, cela, ça: for ideas, not specific nouns
These invariable forms refer to something vague or unspecified, an idea, a situation, not a particular noun with a gender.
| Ça va ? | How's it going? |
| Je ne comprends pas cela. | I don't understand that. |
4. Possessive pronouns: le mien, la tienne, les siens...
Built the same way as possessive adjectives, agreement is with the thing owned, not the owner.
| Owner | Masc. sing. | Fem. sing. | Masc. pl. | Fem. pl. |
|---|
| mine | le mien | la mienne | les miens | les miennes |
| yours (tu) | le tien | la tienne | les tiens | les tiennes |
| his/hers | le sien | la sienne | les siens | les siennes |
| ours | le/la nôtre | les nôtres |
| yours (vous) | le/la vôtre | les vôtres |
| theirs | le/la leur | les leurs |
| C'est mon livre, pas le tien. | It's my book, not yours. |
| Leurs enfants et les nôtres jouent ensemble. | Their kids and ours play together. |