Learn French: Ce fromage est très cher. - This cheese is very expensive.

Ce fromage est très cher.

This cheese is very expensive.

Breakdown of Ce fromage est très cher.

Questions & Answers about Ce fromage est très cher.

Why do we use ce instead of cette, since fromage ends in an "e"?

You might expect fromage to be feminine because it ends in an "-e", but it is actually an exception—it is a masculine word. Because it is masculine and singular, we must use the masculine demonstrative adjective ce ("this" or "that"). If the noun were feminine, we would use cette.

How do I know if ce means "this" or "that" in this sentence?

French uses the same demonstrative adjectives (ce, cette, and ces) for both "this" and "that". Usually, the context makes it obvious. If you ever need to specifically emphasize "this cheese right here" versus "that cheese over there", you can attach -ci or -là to the end of the noun: ce fromage-ci (this cheese) or ce fromage-là (that cheese).

Why does the sentence use cher instead of chère?

In French, adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Since fromage is masculine, we use the masculine form cher. If we were describing a feminine noun, like a car (une voiture), we would use the feminine form: cette voiture est très chère.

Can the word cher mean anything else besides "expensive"?