The French subject pronouns are je (I), tu (you, informal), il (he, it), elle (she, it), on (we, one, people), nous (we), vous (you, formal or plural), ils (they, masculine or mixed) and elles (they, feminine). Unlike Spanish, French never drops them: many verb forms sound the same, so the pronoun shows who is speaking.
The subject pronouns
| French | English | Verb form (parler) |
|---|---|---|
| je (j’) | I | je parle |
| tu | you (one person, informal) | tu parles |
| il | he, it | il parle |
| elle | she, it | elle parle |
| on | we (informal), one, people | on parle |
| nous | we | nous parlons |
| vous | you (formal, or several people) | vous parlez |
| ils | they (masculine or mixed) | ils parlent |
| elles | they (feminine) | elles parlent |
- Je becomes j’ before a vowel or a silent h. j’aime, j’habite. There is no capital letter on je except at the start of a sentence.
- Il and elle also mean “it”. Nouns have gender: le livre → il est intéressant; la voiture → elle est rouge. Impersonal “it” is il: il pleut, il est huit heures; or ce with être: c’est facile.
- Ils for any mixed group. One boy among twenty girls: ils. Elles is only for all-female groups.
Why French keeps its pronouns
Spanish learners drop the pronoun; French learners must not. In the present of -er verbs, four forms sound identical: je parle, tu parles, il parle, ils parlent are all pronounced “parl”. Only the pronoun tells the listener who is speaking. This is worth showing explicitly to pupils who learn both languages.
The same goes for listening: il parle and ils parlent sound the same, so pupils must use context. With a verb starting with a vowel, liaison helps: il aime (“ee-LEM”) but ils aiment (“eel-ZEM”).
- Liaison with nous, vous, ils, elles. Before a vowel, the s is pronounced z: nous avons (“noo-za-VON”), vous êtes, elles ont.
- A key pair. ils sont (“eel-SON”, they are) and ils ont (“eel-ZON”, they have) differ only by the s or z sound.
Tu or vous?
- Tu: one person you know well. Friends, family, children, classmates, pets.
- Vous (formal): one person you don’t know well, or to show respect. A teacher, a shopkeeper, an adult stranger.
- Vous (plural): always, for several people, however well you know them.
The verb, but not the adjective, is plural with formal vous: Vous êtes content, monsieur ? Vous êtes prête, madame ? Switching from vous to tu is a social step: people ask On se tutoie ?
Tu is used more readily in Quebec than in France.
On: the everyday “we”
In spoken French, on usually replaces nous: On va au cinéma ? (Shall we go to the cinema?). It always takes the third-person singular verb: on va, on est, on a.
It also means “people” or “one”: En France, on mange tard. (In France, people eat late.) Ici, on parle français. (French spoken here.)
When on means “we”, adjectives and past participles usually agree with the real people: On est contents. On est allées au parc (said by girls). Both this agreement and the invariable form are accepted.
Stressed and object pronouns
| Subject | Stressed | Direct object | Indirect object | Reflexive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | moi | me (m’) | me (m’) | me (m’) |
| tu | toi | te (t’) | te (t’) | te (t’) |
| il | lui | le (l’) | lui | se (s’) |
| elle | elle | la (l’) | lui | se (s’) |
| nous | nous | nous | nous | nous |
| vous | vous | vous | vous | vous |
| ils | eux | les | leur | se (s’) |
| elles | elles | les | leur | se (s’) |
- Stressed pronouns stand alone or after a preposition. Moi, j’aime le foot. Et toi ? C’est moi. avec lui, chez eux.
- Object pronouns go before the verb. Je le vois. Je lui parle. In the negative, ne comes before the pronoun: Je ne le vois pas.
- With two pronouns, a fixed order. me/te/se/nous/vous → le/la/les → lui/leur → y → en: Il me le donne. Je la lui prête. Il y en a.
- Positive commands: after the verb, with hyphens. Regarde-moi ! Donne-le-moi !, where me becomes moi.
- Y and en. y replaces à + a place or thing (J’y vais); en replaces de + noun or a quantity (J’en ai deux).
Moi, je préfère le thé, et toi ?I prefer tea, and you?
On se retrouve devant le collège ?Shall we meet outside the school?
Je ne le connais pas.I don’t know him.
You may come across iel, a gender-neutral pronoun that entered the online Le Robert dictionary in 2021. It remains rare and is not taught in standard courses.
Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners
- Dropping the pronoun, Spanish style: “Parle français” for Je parle français.
- “Je aime”: elision is compulsory: j’aime.
- “On sommes”: on takes the third person: on est.
- Tu to the teacher: Vous pouvez m’aider ?
- “Avec je”, “c’est je”: avec moi, c’est moi.
- Object pronoun after the verb: “Je vois le” for Je le vois.
- “Il est” for “it is” + noun: C’est un bon film, not “il est un bon film”.
- No liaison: “ils ont” said like ils sont.
In class: the pronoun wheel
- A verb appears, for example avoir.
- Point at yourself, at one pupil, at a boy, at a girl, at a group: the class gives the pronoun and the verb, j’ai, tu as, il a…
- Contrast ils ont and ils sont aloud: the class shows z or s with a gesture.
- Swap nous for on: nous avons → on a.
- End with a real sentence: J’ai un frère. Et toi ?
That is exactly what a daily conjugation routine does: a verb is drawn, the class conjugates it person by person, in the present up to A2, then in a past tense at B1 and the subjunctive at B2.
Adapting to your class
- A1The subject pronouns with être and avoir; moi and toi.
- A2On for “we”, tu or vous, direct object pronouns in the present: Je le mange.
- B1Object pronouns in the perfect: Je l’ai vu. Je lui ai parlé.; y and en.
- B2Double pronouns and commands: Je te l’ai déjà dit. Donne-la-lui.
At KS2, a pronoun song with gestures works well. At KS3, insist on elision, liaison and tu or vous. At GCSE, object pronouns, y and en make answers shorter and more natural.
The “La roue des verbes” module does it for you
The wheel picks a verb and the class conjugates it person by person, in the tense you choose from those at your class’s level. No preparation needed: try everything free for 15 days of use.
Frequently asked questions
What are the subject pronouns in French?
je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils and elles.
What is the difference between tu and vous?
Tu is for one person you know well; vous is for one person you treat formally, or for any group of people.
What does on mean in French?
In speech it usually means “we”: On y va ? It also means “people” or “one”. It always takes a singular verb: on est, on a.
Can you drop the subject pronoun in French?
No. Unlike Spanish or Italian, French verbs always need a subject, because many forms sound the same: je parle, tu parles, il parle.
When do you use ils or elles?
Elles for a group made up only of females or feminine nouns; ils for all other groups, including mixed ones.
What are stressed pronouns in French?
moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles: used alone, for emphasis and after prepositions: Moi aussi. avec toi.