ledit / ladite

Legal Designation with Ledit, Ladite

Level 6

Ledit (masculine) and ladite (feminine) are formal ways to refer back to a person or thing already mentioned. They function like 'the said' or 'the aforementioned' in English legal documents.

How It Works

In high-level administrative, legal, or literary French, ledit and ladite serve as precise déterminants démonstratifs (demonstrative adjectives).

1. Forms and Agreement:
They must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify:

  • Masculine Singular: ledit
  • Feminine Singular: ladite
  • Masculine Plural: lesdits
  • Feminine Plural: lesdites

2. Prepositional Contractions:
When preceded by the prepositions à or de, the masculine and plural forms contract just like standard articles:

  • à + ledit → audit
  • de + ledit → dudit
  • à + lesdits/lesdites → auxdits/auxdites
  • de + lesdits/lesdites → desdits/desdites

Note: The feminine singular forms à ladite and de ladite do not contract.

3. Usage and Register:
This pattern is rarely heard in spoken French. It is found in:

  • Legal Contracts: To refer to "the said buyer" (ledit acquéreur).
  • Administrative Reports: To refer back to a specific document or date.
  • Classic Literature: To avoid repeating ce or cette too often.

4. Phonology:
In the plural forms (lesdits/lesdites), liaison is obligatory if the following noun starts with a vowel or silent 'h' (e.g., lesdits‿accords).

Examples (4)

  1. Laquelle somme ledit vendeur a présentement reçue dudit acquéreur.

    Which sum the said seller has presently received from the said buyer.

    Word by Word: Which sum the-said seller has presently received from-the-said buyer.

    This demonstrates the use of 'ledit' and the contracted form 'dudit' (de + ledit) in a typical legal transaction context.

  2. À défaut de remplir lesdites conditions, l'employé est réputé absent.

    Failing to meet the aforementioned conditions, the employee is deemed absent.

    Word by Word: At default of to-fill the-said conditions, the employee is deemed absent.

    Here, 'lesdites' is the feminine plural form, referring back to a list of conditions previously stated in a contract.

  3. Il suffit de couper ledit mètre en deux.

    It is enough to cut the aforementioned meter in two.

    Word by Word: It suffices of to-cut the-said meter in two.

    A literary example from Jules Verne, using 'ledit' to refer back to a specific measurement mentioned earlier.

  4. Le versement sera effectué auxdites dates prévues au contrat.

    The payment will be made on the aforementioned dates provided in the contract.

    Word by Word: The payment will-be effected to-the-said dates foreseen at-the contract.

    This shows the contraction 'auxdites' (à + lesdites) used in a formal administrative sentence.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing the expression as two separate words.

    Le dit contrat a été signé hier.
    Ledit contrat a été signé hier.

    In modern French, 'ledit' and 'ladite' must be written as a single fused word when used as a demonstrative adjective.

  • Using 'ledit' in casual or informal contexts.

    J'ai vu ledit film dont tu m'as parlé.
    J'ai vu ce film dont tu m'as parlé.

    Using 'ledit' in daily conversation sounds overly pedantic or robotic. Use standard demonstratives like 'ce' or 'cette' instead.

  • Failing to contract with 'à' or 'de'.

    La signature de ledit document est obligatoire.
    La signature dudit document est obligatoire.

    Just like 'de + le' becomes 'du', 'de + ledit' must become 'dudit'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ledit / laditeLevel 6Legal Designation with Ledit, Ladite

Learn This First

To understand 'ledit' and 'ladite', you need to be familiar with the definite articles 'le' and 'la', as well as the past participle of the verb 'dire' (to say). Since these terms function as adjectives in legal contexts, you must also understand the basic rules of French gender and number agreement.

Words in This Pattern

ledit