French Subject Pronouns: Guide, Chart, Examples, Exercises
Ready to build sentences in French? Subject pronouns are the fundamental building blocks, telling you who is doing the action. Understanding them is your first step to clear and effective communication in French!
What is a Pronoun?
In grammar, a pronoun is a word that replaces a noun. Instead of repeating a noun over and over (e.g., “John went to the store. John bought bread. John came home.”), you can use a pronoun (“John went to the store. He bought bread. He came home.”).
Introducing French Subject Pronouns
Subject pronouns (Pronoms personnels sujets in French) are a specific type of pronoun that refers to the subject of a sentence – the person or thing performing the action. They are absolutely fundamental in any language, allowing us to construct simple and complex sentences and communicate clearly and effectively.
Chart
| Pronoun | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Je | I |
| Tu | You (singular, informal) |
| Il | He |
| Elle | She |
| Nous | We |
| Vous | You (plural, or formal singular) |
| Ils | They (masculine or mixed group) |
| Elles | They (feminine group) |
Examples and sentences
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How to Use Subject Pronouns in French
1. They Go Before the Verb: In most French sentences, the subject pronoun is placed before the verb. This is a consistent rule to remember!
- Tu danses avec ton ami. – You dance with your friend.
- Vous avez une fête. – You have a party.
2. Almost Always Obligatory: Unlike in some languages where you can drop the pronoun (like Spanish or Italian), using the subject pronoun in French is almost always required.
- She eats bread. Elle mange du pain.
- You cannot just say “Mange du pain” in French; the pronoun elle is necessary.
3. The “Je” Contraction (J’): To make pronunciation smoother, the pronoun “Je” contracts to “J’” when it comes before a word starting with a vowel or a silent ‘h’.
- J’aime les biscuits. (Instead of Je aime les biscuits).
Understanding “Tu” vs. “Vous” (The Two “You”s)
Both “tu” and “vous” mean “you,” but they indicate different levels of formality.
Tu (Informal “You”):
- Use with friends, family, children, pets, or anyone you know well.
- Tu vas à la plage demain? – Are you going to the beach tomorrow?
Vous (Formal “You” or Plural “You”):
- Use with strangers, elders, in professional settings, or to show respect.
- It’s also used when addressing more than one person, regardless of formality.
- Salut madame, comment allez-vous? – Hello ma’am, how are you?
- Vous êtes intelligents. – You (all) are smart.
Understanding “Il” and “Elle” (He/She/It)
“Il” and “elle” are used for “he” and “she” when referring to people, but they also act as “it” for masculine and feminine nouns, respectively.
With People:
- Il is for masculine subjects.
- Elle is for feminine subjects.
- Elle est folle. – She is crazy.
- Il est loin d’ici. – He is far from here.
With Animals and Objects:
- In French, all nouns (including animals and objects) have a gender.
- Il refers to a masculine singular noun (animal or object).
- Elle refers to a feminine singular noun (animal or object).
- Il est gris, ton chat? – Is your cat gray? (chat is masculine)
- Je préfère cette table, elle est plus jolie. – I prefer this table, it is prettier. (table is feminine)
Impersonal “Il”:
- “Il” is also used in impersonal expressions where it doesn’t refer to a specific person or thing, much like “it” in “It’s raining.”
- Il pleut. – It’s raining.
- Il faut aller à l’école. – One/We/You have to go to school.
- Il est 16 heures. – It’s 4 o’clock.
The Versatile “On” (One, We, People)
The French pronoun “on” is incredibly flexible! While grammatically treated as singular (like “he/she/it”), its meaning can shift based on context. It’s often used for “we” in casual conversation, making it less formal than “nous.”
“On” as “We” (Casual):
- En France, on mange des crêpes. – In France, we eat crêpes.
- On y va? – Shall we go?
“On” as “They” or “Someone” (General/Unspecified People):
- Quand on est bon, la vie est plus facile. – When someone is good, life is easier.
- Écoute si on te parle! – Listen if someone speaks to you!
- On m’a dit que tu vas à l’Italie. – Someone told me you’re going to Italy.
“On” as “You” (General Truth/People in general):
- On peut aller en Italie en train. – You (generally) can go to Italy by train.
- On peut visiter Versailles en vacaciones. – You (generally) can visit Versailles during vacations.
Exercises
Now practice what you learned with the following exercises.
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