Ce film est célèbre.

This movie is famous.

Breakdown of Ce film est célèbre.

• être: to be
• ce: this
• le film: the movie
• célèbre: famous

Questions & Answers about Ce film est célèbre.

What exactly does ce mean in this sentence?

Ce is a demonstrative adjective meaning “this” or “that” in English.
In Ce film est célèbre, it points to a specific movie: “This film is famous” or “That film is famous.”
It agrees in gender and number with film (masculine, singular), so you use ce.

Why is it ce film and not cet film or cette film?

• Ce is used before a masculine singular noun starting with a consonant: ce film, ce livre, ce garçon.
• Cet is used before a masculine singular noun starting with a vowel or silent h: cet homme, cet arbre.
• Cette is used for feminine singular nouns: cette fille, cette voiture.

Since film is masculine and starts with a consonant sound /f/, the correct form is ce film.

What is the difference between Ce film est célèbre and C’est un film célèbre?

Both can translate as “This is a famous film”, but the structure and nuance differ:

• Ce film est célèbre

  • Literally: “This film is famous.”
  • Focuses on the film as a specific, identified thing; you already know which film you’re talking about.

• C’est un film célèbre

  • Literally: “It is a famous film.”
  • More general presentation; often used when introducing or commenting on a film, not necessarily pointing to it physically.

In practice, both are correct; ce film est célèbre sounds a bit more precise about that particular film.

Why is the adjective célèbre after the verb and not before the noun, like ce célèbre film?

You have two different structures:

1. Subject + être + adjective

   • Ce film est célèbre = This film is famous.
     The adjective célèbre describes the state or quality of the subject via the verb être.

2. Adjective + noun

   • Ce célèbre film = This famous film.
     Here, célèbre is directly modifying the noun inside a noun phrase.

Both are correct, but:

• Ce film est célèbre is a full sentence (with verb).
• Ce célèbre film is a noun phrase, not a standalone sentence.

How do I make this sentence plural?

To say “These films are famous,” you must change all the agreeing words:

• Ce → Ces (plural demonstrative)
• film → films (add -s)
• est → sont (third person singular → plural of être)
• célèbre → célèbres (add -s for plural agreement in writing)

So the plural sentence is:

Ces films sont célèbres.

Does célèbre change for feminine, or stay the same?

In writing:

• Masculine singular: célèbre
• Feminine singular: célèbre
• Masculine plural: célèbres
• Feminine plural: célèbres

So the feminine form is spelled the same as the masculine; you only add -s for plural.
In pronunciation, célèbre and célèbres sound the same in everyday speech.

How do you pronounce Ce film est célèbre?

Roughly in IPA: /sə film ɛ selebʁ/

• Ce → /sə/ (like suh)
• film → /film/ (final m is pronounced; it is not nasalized here)
• est → /ɛ/ (like English eh; the st is silent)
• célèbre → /selebʁ/
  
  • stress is usually on the last syllable: se-lè-bre
  • the final -re is pronounced with a French ʁ sound.

There are no liaisons in this short sentence: you say each word separately.

Is célèbre exactly the same as “famous,” or is there a nuance?

Célèbre generally means “famous, well-known”, like English famous.
Common nuances:

• célèbre: often neutral, can be slightly formal or literary.
• connu: “known, well-known”; sometimes weaker than célèbre.
• populaire: “popular,” emphasizes being liked by many people, not just known.

For a movie, célèbre is natural and common: un film célèbre, ce film est célèbre.

Could I say Ce film est très célèbre or bien connu instead?

Yes:

• Ce film est très célèbre. → This film is very famous.
• Ce film est bien connu. → This film is well known.

très célèbre intensifies the idea of fame;
bien connu is slightly more informal and means “widely known,” sometimes with a nuance of “everybody knows it.”

Why is it est (is) and not sont (are)?

Est is the third person singular form of être used with singular subjects:

• il/elle/on est, le film est, ce film est

Sont is the third person plural form, used with plural subjects:

• ils/elles sont, les films sont, ces films sont

Since film is singular, you must use est: Ce film est célèbre.

Can I say Le film est célèbre instead of Ce film est célèbre?

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly:

• Ce film est célèbre. → This / That film is famous.
  You’re pointing to or clearly identifying a particular film.

• Le film est célèbre. → The film is famous.
  More neutral; it assumes the listener already knows which film you mean from context.

Both are grammatically correct; ce is more demonstrative than le.

Why do we need ce at all? Why not just Film est célèbre?

In French, you cannot normally drop the determiner (article or demonstrative) before a singular countable noun. You must use something like:

• un film (a film)
• le film (the film)
• ce film (this/that film)

So Film est célèbre is ungrammatical.
You need Ce to make a correct noun phrase: Ce film est célèbre.