Learn French: Quelle voiture ? Celle-ci ou celle-là ?

Quelle voiture ? Celle-ci ou celle-là ?

Which car? This one or that one?

Breakdown of Quelle voiture ? Celle-ci ou celle-là ?

la voiture

the car

quel

which / what (adjective)

celle

the one (feminine singular)

Questions & Answers about Quelle voiture ? Celle-ci ou celle-là ?

Why do we use celle instead of celui in this sentence?

Celle is the feminine singular form of the demonstrative pronoun ("this one" or "that one"). We use it here because it replaces the feminine noun voiture (car). If we were talking about a masculine noun, like vélo (bike), we would use celui.

What is the exact difference between celle-ci and celle-là?

The suffix -ci comes from ici (here) and refers to something closer to you, meaning "this one". The suffix -là comes from là (there) and refers to something further away, meaning "that one".

Are the hyphens in celle-ci and celle-là required?

Yes! Whenever you attach the suffixes -ci or -là to a demonstrative pronoun (like celui, celle, ceux, or celles) to point out a specific thing, you must always include the hyphen.

Why is it Quelle voiture and not Quel voiture?

Quelle is the feminine singular form of the question word meaning "which" or "what". Because voiture is a feminine noun, you must use Quelle to match it.