When you want to avoid repeating a noun and say "the one" or "the ones," French uses demonstrative pronouns. They must agree in gender and number with the noun they replace:
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | celui | ceux |
| Feminine | celle | celles |
To say "the one that" or "the ones who," you pair these demonstrative pronouns directly with a relative pronoun like qui, que, or dont.
The Ones That: Qui and Que
Use qui when the pronoun is the subject of the clause (it does the action). Use que when the pronoun is the direct object (it receives the action).
| The ones that grow under the pine are often edible. | Ceux qui poussent sous le pin sont souvent comestibles. |
| I gather the ones that I see in the moss. | Je ramasse ceux que je vois dans la mousse. |
The One Whose: Using Dont
To express "the one whose" or "the ones of which," use the relative pronoun dont. It replaces objects of the preposition de, making it perfect for describing physical characteristics.
| The one whose stem is white is an edible mushroom. | Celui dont le pied est blanc est un champignon comestible. |
Matching Gender and Number
You must always choose the demonstrative pronoun that correctly matches the noun being referenced. For instance, use celui for a masculine singular noun (like a mushroom) and celle for a feminine singular noun (like moss).
| To identify the one that is under the oak, I check the smell. | Pour identifier celui qui est sous le chêne, je vérifie l'odeur. |
| It is the same moss as the one that grows under the oak. | C'est la même mousse que celle qui pousse sous le chêne. |
| The ones whose stem is big are not always edible. | Ceux dont le pied est gros ne sont pas toujours comestibles. |