{"id":98,"date":"2026-09-30T17:09:07","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leweb2ks.dev\/vitrine-vocadial\/en\/resources\/french-pronouns\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T17:09:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:09:07","slug":"french-pronouns","status":"publish","type":"vd_ressource","link":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/resources\/french-pronouns\/","title":{"rendered":"French pronouns: subject pronouns, tu or vous, on, and object pronouns"},"content":{"rendered":"

The subject pronouns<\/h2>\n\n
French<\/th>English<\/th>Verb form (parler)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
je (j’)<\/td>I<\/td>je parle<\/td><\/tr>
tu<\/td>you (one person, informal)<\/td>tu parles<\/td><\/tr>
il<\/td>he, it<\/td>il parle<\/td><\/tr>
elle<\/td>she, it<\/td>elle parle<\/td><\/tr>
on<\/td>we (informal), one, people<\/td>on parle<\/td><\/tr>
nous<\/td>we<\/td>nous parlons<\/td><\/tr>
vous<\/td>you (formal, or several people)<\/td>vous parlez<\/td><\/tr>
ils<\/td>they (masculine or mixed)<\/td>ils parlent<\/td><\/tr>
elles<\/td>they (feminine)<\/td>elles parlent<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n
  1. Je becomes j’ before a vowel or a silent h.<\/strong> j’aime<\/span>, j’habite<\/span>. There is no capital letter on je<\/span> except at the start of a sentence.<\/li>
  2. Il and elle also mean “it”.<\/strong> Nouns have gender: le livre<\/span> \u2192 il est int\u00e9ressant<\/span>; la voiture<\/span> \u2192 elle est rouge<\/span>. Impersonal “it” is il<\/span>: il pleut<\/span>, il est huit heures<\/span>; or ce<\/span> with \u00eatre<\/span>: c’est facile<\/span>.<\/li>
  3. Ils for any mixed group.<\/strong> One boy among twenty girls: ils<\/span>. Elles<\/span> is only for all-female groups.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

    Why French keeps its pronouns<\/h2>\n\n

    Spanish learners drop the pronoun; French learners must not. In the present of -er verbs, four forms sound identical: je parle<\/span>, tu parles<\/span>, il parle<\/span>, ils parlent<\/span> are all pronounced “parl”. Only the pronoun tells the listener who is speaking. This is worth showing explicitly to pupils who learn both languages.<\/p>\n\n

    The same goes for listening: il parle<\/span> and ils parlent<\/span> sound the same, so pupils must use context. With a verb starting with a vowel, liaison helps: il aime<\/span> (“ee-LEM”) but ils aiment<\/span> (“eel-ZEM”).<\/p>\n\n

    1. Liaison with nous, vous, ils, elles.<\/strong> Before a vowel, the s is pronounced z: nous avons<\/span> (“noo-za-VON”), vous \u00eates<\/span>, elles ont<\/span>.<\/li>
    2. A key pair.<\/strong> ils sont<\/span> (“eel-SON”, they are) and ils ont<\/span> (“eel-ZON”, they have) differ only by the s or z sound.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

      Tu or vous?<\/h2>\n\n
      1. Tu<\/span>: one person you know well.<\/strong> Friends, family, children, classmates, pets.<\/li>
      2. Vous<\/span> (formal): one person you don’t know well, or to show respect.<\/strong> A teacher, a shopkeeper, an adult stranger.<\/li>
      3. Vous<\/span> (plural): always, for several people<\/strong>, however well you know them.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

        The verb, but not the adjective, is plural with formal vous<\/span>: Vous \u00eates content, monsieur ?<\/span> Vous \u00eates pr\u00eate, madame ?<\/span> Switching from vous<\/span> to tu<\/span> is a social step: people ask On se tutoie ?<\/span><\/p>\n\n

        Tu<\/span> is used more readily in Quebec than in France.<\/p>\n\n

        On: the everyday “we”<\/h2>\n\n

        In spoken French, on<\/span> usually replaces nous<\/span>: On va au cin\u00e9ma ?<\/span> (Shall we go to the cinema?). It always takes the third-person singular verb: on va<\/span>, on est<\/span>, on a<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n

        It also means “people” or “one”: En France, on mange tard.<\/span> (In France, people eat late.) Ici, on parle fran\u00e7ais.<\/span> (French spoken here.)<\/p>\n\n

        When on<\/span> means “we”, adjectives and past participles usually agree with the real people: On est contents.<\/span> On est all\u00e9es au parc<\/span> (said by girls). Both this agreement and the invariable form are accepted.<\/p>\n\n

        Stressed and object pronouns<\/h2>\n\n
        Subject<\/th>Stressed<\/th>Direct object<\/th>Indirect object<\/th>Reflexive<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
        je<\/td>moi<\/td>me (m’)<\/td>me (m’)<\/td>me (m’)<\/td><\/tr>
        tu<\/td>toi<\/td>te (t’)<\/td>te (t’)<\/td>te (t’)<\/td><\/tr>
        il<\/td>lui<\/td>le (l’)<\/td>lui<\/td>se (s’)<\/td><\/tr>
        elle<\/td>elle<\/td>la (l’)<\/td>lui<\/td>se (s’)<\/td><\/tr>
        nous<\/td>nous<\/td>nous<\/td>nous<\/td>nous<\/td><\/tr>
        vous<\/td>vous<\/td>vous<\/td>vous<\/td>vous<\/td><\/tr>
        ils<\/td>eux<\/td>les<\/td>leur<\/td>se (s’)<\/td><\/tr>
        elles<\/td>elles<\/td>les<\/td>leur<\/td>se (s’)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n
        1. Stressed pronouns stand alone or after a preposition.<\/strong> Moi, j’aime le foot.<\/span> Et toi ?<\/span> C’est moi.<\/span> avec lui<\/span>, chez eux<\/span>.<\/li>
        2. Object pronouns go before the verb.<\/strong> Je le vois.<\/span> Je lui parle.<\/span> In the negative, ne<\/span> comes before the pronoun: Je ne le vois pas.<\/span><\/li>
        3. With two pronouns, a fixed order.<\/strong> me\/te\/se\/nous\/vous \u2192 le\/la\/les \u2192 lui\/leur \u2192 y \u2192 en: Il me le donne.<\/span> Je la lui pr\u00eate.<\/span> Il y en a.<\/span><\/li>
        4. Positive commands: after the verb, with hyphens.<\/strong> Regarde-moi !<\/span> Donne-le-moi !<\/span>, where me<\/span> becomes moi<\/span>.<\/li>
        5. Y and en.<\/strong> y<\/span> replaces \u00e0<\/span> + a place or thing (J’y vais<\/span>); en<\/span> replaces de<\/span> + noun or a quantity (J’en ai deux<\/span>).<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

          Moi, je pr\u00e9f\u00e8re le th\u00e9, et toi ?<\/span>I prefer tea, and you?<\/small><\/p>\n\n

          On se retrouve devant le coll\u00e8ge ?<\/span>Shall we meet outside the school?<\/small><\/p>\n\n

          Je ne le connais pas.<\/span>I don’t know him.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

          You may come across iel<\/span>, a gender-neutral pronoun that entered the online Le Robert dictionary in 2021. It remains rare and is not taught in standard courses.<\/p>\n\n

          Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners<\/h2>\n\n
          • Dropping the pronoun, Spanish style:<\/strong> “Parle fran\u00e7ais” for Je parle fran\u00e7ais<\/span>.<\/li>
          • “Je aime”:<\/strong> elision is compulsory: j’aime<\/span>.<\/li>
          • “On sommes”:<\/strong> on<\/span> takes the third person: on est<\/span>.<\/li>
          • Tu to the teacher:<\/strong> Vous pouvez m’aider ?<\/span><\/li>
          • “Avec je”, “c’est je”:<\/strong> avec moi<\/span>, c’est moi<\/span>.<\/li>
          • Object pronoun after the verb:<\/strong> “Je vois le” for Je le vois<\/span>.<\/li>
          • “Il est” for “it is” + noun:<\/strong> C’est un bon film<\/span>, not “il est un bon film”.<\/li>
          • No liaison:<\/strong> “ils ont” said like ils sont<\/span>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n

            In class: the pronoun wheel<\/h2>\n\n
            1. A verb appears, for example avoir<\/span>.<\/li>
            2. 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<\/span>, tu as<\/span>, il a<\/span>\u2026<\/li>
            3. Contrast ils ont<\/span> and ils sont<\/span> aloud: the class shows z or s with a gesture.<\/li>
            4. Swap nous<\/span> for on<\/span>: nous avons<\/span> \u2192 on a<\/span>.<\/li>
            5. End with a real sentence: J’ai un fr\u00e8re. Et toi ?<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\n\n

              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.<\/p>\n\n

              Adapting to your class<\/h3>\n\n
              • A1<\/b>The subject pronouns with \u00eatre<\/span> and avoir<\/span>; moi<\/span> and toi<\/span>.<\/li>
              • A2<\/b>On<\/span> for “we”, tu or vous, direct object pronouns in the present: Je le mange.<\/span><\/li>
              • B1<\/b>Object pronouns in the perfect: Je l’ai vu.<\/span> Je lui ai parl\u00e9.<\/span>; y and en.<\/li>
              • B2<\/b>Double pronouns and commands: Je te l’ai d\u00e9j\u00e0 dit.<\/span> Donne-la-lui.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

                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.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                Je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils, elles: French subject pronouns, tu or vous, the many uses of on, and object pronouns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"menu_order":29,"template":"","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"French Pronouns: Subject, Object, Tu, Vous, On | VocaDial","_seopress_titles_desc":"French subject pronouns in a table: je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils, elles; tu or vous; on for we; stressed and object pronouns and word order.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_vd_topic":"pronoms","_vd_target":"fr","_vd_module":"rueda","_vd_level":"A1\u2013B1","_vd_minutes":"8","_vd_card_word":"je, tu\u2026","_vd_answer":"The French subject pronouns are je<\/span> (I), tu<\/span> (you, informal), il<\/span> (he, it), elle<\/span> (she, it), on<\/span> (we, one, people), nous<\/span> (we), vous<\/span> (you, formal or plural), ils<\/span> (they, masculine or mixed) and elles<\/span> (they, feminine). Unlike Spanish, French never drops them: many verb forms sound the same, so the pronoun shows who is speaking.","_vd_faq":"[{\"q\":\"What are the subject pronouns in French?\",\"a\":\"je<\\\/span>, tu<\\\/span>, il<\\\/span>, elle<\\\/span>, on<\\\/span>, nous<\\\/span>, vous<\\\/span>, ils<\\\/span> and elles<\\\/span>.\"},{\"q\":\"What is the difference between tu and vous?\",\"a\":\"Tu<\\\/span> is for one person you know well; vous<\\\/span> is for one person you treat formally, or for any group of people.\"},{\"q\":\"What does on mean in French?\",\"a\":\"In speech it usually means \\\"we\\\": On y va ?<\\\/span> It also means \\\"people\\\" or \\\"one\\\". It always takes a singular verb: on est<\\\/span>, on a<\\\/span>.\"},{\"q\":\"Can you drop the subject pronoun in French?\",\"a\":\"No. Unlike Spanish or Italian, French verbs always need a subject, because many forms sound the same: je parle<\\\/span>, tu parles<\\\/span>, il parle<\\\/span>.\"},{\"q\":\"When do you use ils or elles?\",\"a\":\"Elles<\\\/span> for a group made up only of females or feminine nouns; ils<\\\/span> for all other groups, including mixed ones.\"},{\"q\":\"What are stressed pronouns in French?\",\"a\":\"moi<\\\/span>, toi<\\\/span>, lui<\\\/span>, elle<\\\/span>, nous<\\\/span>, vous<\\\/span>, eux<\\\/span>, elles<\\\/span>: used alone, for emphasis and after prepositions: Moi aussi.<\\\/span> avec toi<\\\/span>.\"}]","_vd_key":"pronoms-fr","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-98","vd_ressource","type-vd_ressource","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/98","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/vd_ressource"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/98\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}