French Subject Pronouns

French Subject Pronouns Pronoms sujets
By Laura K. Lawless, About.com Guide Introduction to French Subject Pronouns The subject of a verb is the person or thing which performs the action of that verb:
Tom travaille.
Tom is working.
Mes parents habitent en Espagne.

My parents live in Spain.
La voiture ne veut pas dmarrer.

The car won't start. Subject pronouns replace this person or thing:
Il travaille.
He is working.
Ils habitent en Espagne.

They live in Spain.
Elle ne veut pas dmarrer.

It won't start. When studying French, you must understand subject pronouns before you can begin
learning how to conjugate verbs, because the forms of verbs change for each subject pronoun. Click the pronouns in this table for detailed information about how to use each one. French subject pronouns: Singular 1st person je I 2nd person tu you 3rd person il he, it
elle she, it
on one
Plural 1st person nous we 2nd person vous you 3rd person ils they (m)
elles they (f)
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French Subject Pronouns: je = I
The first person singular French subject pronoun je (listen) is used a lot like its English equivalent I: Je travaille tous les jours. I work every day. Je veux voir ce film. I want to see this movie. Je sais ce qui s'est pass. I know what happened. Notes: 1. Unlike I, je is only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence. Hier, je suis all la plage. Yesterday, I went to the beach. Non, je ne veux pas voir ce film. No, I don't want to see this movie. Dois-je commencer maintenant ? Do I have to start now? 2. Je contracts to j' when followed by a vowel or mute h. J'aime danser. I like to dance. Tu sais, j'ai le mme problme. You know, I have the same problem. Oui, j'habite en France. Yes, I live in France.
French Subject Pronouns: tu, vous = you
French has two different words for you: tu (listen) and vous (listen). In English, the second person subject
pronoun is always you, no matter how many people you're talking to, and whether you know them or not. In French , these distinctions are very important - you must understand when and why to use each of them. Otherwise, you may inadvertantly insult someone by using the wrong you. Tu is the familiar you, which demonstrates a certain closeness and informality. Use tu when speaking to one
friend peer / colleague relative child pet
Vous is the formal and plural you. It is used to show respect or maintain a certain distance or formality with someone. Use vous when speaking to
someone you don't know well an older person an authority figure anyone to whom you wish to show respect
Vous is also the plural you - you have to use it when talking to more than one person, no matter how close you are. Because the tu / vous distinction doesn't exist in English, beginning French students often have trouble with it. Some people follow the guideline of using whatever the other person uses with them. This can be misleading: someone in authority may use tu with you, but that certainly doesn't mean that you can respond in kind. You can try asking On peut se tutoyer ?, but when in doubt, I tend to use vous. I'd rather show someone too much
respect than not enough!
*There are even verbs to indicate which pronoun you're using:

tutoyer
= to use tu vouvoyer = to use vous French Subject Pronouns: il, elle = he, she, it
The French third person singular subject pronouns il (listen) and elle (listen) are used just like their English equivalents he and she when talking about people. Il aime skier. He likes to ski. Elle veut tre mdecin. She wants to be a doctor. However, they can also both mean it. In French, all nouns are either masculine or feminine, so to replace them, you
use the subject pronouns corresponding to that gender. Je vais au muse - il est ouvert jusqu' 20h00. I'm going to the museum - it's open until 8pm. O est la voiture ? Elle est chez Jean. Where's the car? It's at Jean's place.
So just remember that il can refer to a male, he, as well a masculine noun, it. Elle can refer to a female, she, or a feminine n
French Subject Pronouns: on = one, we, you, they

On (listen) is the indefinite pronoun and literally means one. It's often equivalent to the passive voice in English. On ne devrait pas poser cette question. One shouldn't ask that question. On demande : caissier. Cashier wanted. On ne dit pas a. That isn't said. Ici on parle franais. French is spoken. In addition, on is an informal replacement for we, you, they, someone, or people in general. On va sortir ce soir. We're going out tonight. Alors les enfants, que veut-on faire ? OK kids, what do you want to do? On dit que ce resto est bon. They say that this restaurant is good. On a trouv mon portefeuille. Someone found my wallet. On est fou ! People are crazy! Agreement with on There are two related debates about whether agreement is required with the subject implied by on: Adjectives: In On est content (We/They are / Someone is happy), should the adjective agree? feminine: On est contente. plural: On est contents. feminine plural: On est contentes. tre verbs: In On est tomb (We/They/Someone fell), should the past participle agree? feminine: On est tombe. plural: On est tombs. feminine plural: On est tombes.
My opinion: On is a neuter singular pronoun, so there shouldn't be agreement, but it's pretty much up to you - or your French teacher. ;-)
French Subject Pronouns: nous = we

The first person plural French subject pronoun nous (listen) is used exactly like we in English. Nous allons en gypte. We're going to Egypt. J'espre que nous arriverons temps. I hope we arrive in time. Devons-nous travailler ensemble ? Do we have to work together? Quand pouvons-nous commencer ? When can we begin?
French Subject Pronouns: ils, elles = they

French has two third person plural subject pronouns, ils (listen) and elles (listen), and they both mean they. Ils is used for groups of men as well as mixed-gender groups. Je ne vois pas mes frres. Sont-ils dj partis ? I don't see my brothers. Did they already leave? Paul et Anne viennent, mais ils sont en retard. Paul and Anne are coming, but they're running late. Ils is also used for groups of all masculine nouns and groups of mixed masculine-feminine nouns. J'ai trouv tes livres - ils sont sur la table. I found your books - they're on the table. Le stylo et la plume ? Ils sont tombs par terre. The pen and pencil? They fell on the floor. Elles can be used only when every single person or thing you're referring to is female or feminine. O sont Annette et Marie ? Elles arrivent. Where are Annette and Marie? They're on their way. J'ai achet des pommes - elles sont dans la cuisine. I bought some apples - they're in the kitchen. Notes:
Even when talking about a room full of hundred women and one man, you have to use ils.
Ils and elles are pronounced exactly like il and elle, respectively, except when they need to liaison.

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What are the different subject pronouns in French and how do they translate to English?

What is the difference between tu and vous when addressing someone?

French Subject Pronouns Pronoms sujets

Mes parents habitent en Espagne.

La voiture ne veut pas dmarrer.

Ils habitent en Espagne.

Elle ne veut pas dmarrer.

elles they (f)

French Subject Pronouns: tu, vous = you

friend peer / colleague relative child pet

respect than not enough!

*There are even verbs to indicate which pronoun you're using:

French Subject Pronouns: on = one, we, you, they

French Subject Pronouns: nous = we

French Subject Pronouns: ils, elles = they

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