Ce type est gentil.

Here, ce means this or that before a masculine singular noun.

In ce type est gentil, ce is a demonstrative adjective: it points to a specific person.

• ce type = this guy / that guy

It is used before a masculine singular noun that starts with a consonant.

Because ce is doing two different jobs in those two patterns.

In ce type est gentil:

• ce is a demonstrative adjective
• it goes directly before the noun type

So:

• ce type = this/that guy

By contrast, c’est is a contraction of ce + est, and ce there is a pronoun, not an adjective.

You can say:

• C’est un type gentil = He’s a nice guy / That’s a nice guy

But you cannot say:

• c’est type ❌

In this sentence, type means guy, fellow, or bloke.

So ce type usually means:

• this guy
• that guy

Be careful: type can also mean type/kind in other contexts, but here it refers to a person.

This use is fairly informal. It is common in everyday speech.

It is usually informal, and the tone depends a lot on context.

It can be:

• fairly neutral: that guy
• slightly dismissive: this guy
• mildly negative, depending on tone

So ce type est gentil can sound like:

• That guy is nice
• This guy is nice

If you want something more neutral or polite, you might say:

• cet homme est gentil = that man is nice
• ce monsieur est gentil = that gentleman is nice

Because ce already fills that slot.

In French, words like ce, cette, and ces come where the, a, or an would normally go.

So you say:

• ce type = this/that guy

not:

• le ce type ❌
• un ce type ❌

Because in French, many adjectives come after the noun.

So:

• un type gentil = a nice guy

That is normal French word order.

Some adjectives do come before the noun, but gentil usually comes after it.

Gentil usually means kind, nice, or pleasant.

In this sentence, it means that the person is nice or kind:

• Ce type est gentil = This/That guy is nice

A small nuance:

• gentil often suggests kindness or friendliness
• it is not exactly the same as every use of English nice

Also, with children, gentil can sometimes mean well-behaved, but that is not the most likely meaning here.

Yes. French adjectives agree with the noun they describe.

Here, type is masculine singular, so the form is:

• gentil

Other forms are:

• masculine singular: gentil
• feminine singular: gentille
• masculine plural: gentils
• feminine plural: gentilles

Examples:

• Ce type est gentil.
• Cette femme est gentille.
• Ces types sont gentils.
• Ces femmes sont gentilles.

Because type starts with a pronounced consonant: t.

French uses:

• ce before a masculine singular noun starting with a consonant
• cet before a masculine singular noun starting with a vowel or mute h

So:

• ce type
• cet homme

Since type begins with t, ce is correct.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• ce ≈ suh
• type ≈ teep
• est ≈ eh
• gentil ≈ zhan-tee

A more accurate pronunciation is roughly:

• suh teep eh zhan-tee

A few useful notes:

• the g in gentil sounds like the s in measure
• the en in gentil is nasal
• the final l in gentil is silent

Yes, if it is already clear who you are talking about.

• Ce type est gentil = This/That guy is nice
• Il est gentil = He is nice

Use ce type when you want to identify the person. Use il when the person is already known from the context.