The subject pronouns je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils and elles come before the verb. A conjugated verb always has a stated subject: Elle habite à Lyon. Nous mangeons.
Summary
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| Point | Rule | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form | je / tu / il / elle / nous / vous / ils / elles | Elle habite à Nice. | She lives in Nice. | |
| Elision | je becomes j’ before a vowel | J’habite à Nice. | I live in Nice. | |
| Tu and vous | tu for a friend, vous for politeness or several people | Vous parlez anglais ? | Do you speak English? | |
| Il and elle | il for a man, elle for a woman | Marc est là. Il travaille. | Marc is here. He's working. | |
| Il and elle | for a thing, the gender of the noun decides | La clé ? Elle est là. | The key? It is here. | |
| On | on replaces nous in speech and takes the il form | On mange ensemble ? | Shall we eat together? | |
| Ils | ils for a group of men or a mixed group | Léa et Paul sont là. Ils travaillent. | Léa and Paul are here. They're working. | |
| On | on also means people in general | En France, on parle français. | In France, people speak French. | |
| Trap | the verb never goes without its subject pronoun | Il est à Paris. | He is in Paris. |
Overview
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- A conjugated verb always has a subject: a pronoun or a noun. Je parle. / Léa parle.I speak. / Léa speaks.
- The subject pronoun comes before the verb. Nous habitons à Lyon. / Ils arrivent.We live in Lyon. / They are arriving.
- To choose between tu and vous, see Forms of Address: tu and vous.
- In a question with inversion, the pronoun follows the verb: see Questions.
- To stress the person (moi, je…), see Stressed Pronouns.
- The pronouns that stand with the verb as objects: see Object Pronouns.
Form: the subject pronouns
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| Person | Singular | Plural | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | je / j’ | nous | |
| 2 | tu | vous | |
| 3 | il / elle | ils / elles | |
| 3 | on | — |
- Before a vowel or a silent h, je becomes j’. J’aime le café. / J’habite à Nice. / Je parle.I like coffee. / I live in Nice. / I speak.
- Il and elle stand for one subject; ils and elles for several. Elle travaille. / Elles travaillent.She is working. / They are working.
- For elisions and liaisons, see Liaison and Elision.
Use: who each pronoun stands for
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| Use | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| je: the person speaking | Je m’appelle Léa. / Je suis français. | My name is Léa. / I'm French. | |
| tu: one person you are on familiar terms with | Tu parles anglais ? / Tu as faim ? | Do you speak English? / Are you hungry? | |
| vous: one person you address politely, or several people | Vous habitez à Paris ? / Vous avez faim, les enfants ? | Do you live in Paris? / Are you hungry, children? | |
| il and elle: a man, a woman | Marc est là. Il travaille. / Léa est là. Elle travaille. | Marc is here. He's working. / Léa is here. She's working. | |
| nous: the speaker and others | Nous habitons à Lyon. / Nous sommes amis. | We live in Lyon. / We're friends. | |
| ils and elles: several people | Paul et Marc sont là. Ils travaillent. / Léa et Anna sont là. Elles travaillent. | Paul and Marc are here. They're working. / Léa and Anna are here. They're working. | |
| il and elle: a thing or an animal | Où est le livre ? ‖ Il est sur la table. / Où est la clé ? ‖ Elle est là. | Where is the book? ‖ It is on the table. / Where is the key? ‖ It is here. | |
| ils: a group of men or a mixed group | Léa et Paul sont là. Ils travaillent. / Anna, Léa et Paul sont là. Ils travaillent. | Léa and Paul are here. They're working. / Anna, Léa and Paul are here. They're working. | |
| on: “we” in speech, with the il form | On mange ensemble ? / On est amis. | Shall we eat together? / We're friends. | |
| il with no person behind it: the weather | Il pleut. / Il neige. | It's raining. / It's snowing. | |
| on: people in general | En France, on parle français. / On mange bien ici. | In France, people speak French. / The food is good here. |
- Il and elle follow the gender of the noun, even for a thing. Le téléphone ? Il est neuf. / La voiture ? Elle est neuve.The phone? It is new. / The car? It is new.
- The gender of nouns: see Noun Gender.
- A single man in the group is enough for ils; elles stands for women only. Anna, Léa et Paul sont là : ils travaillent. / Anna et Léa sont là : elles travaillent.Anna, Léa and Paul are here: they're working. / Anna and Léa are here: they're working.
- On takes the verb in the il form. On parle français. / On a faim.We speak French. / We're hungry.
- To say what someone or something is with c’est and il est: see C’est and Il est.
Pronunciation: the subject pronouns
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| Pronoun | Before a consonant | Before a vowel | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | je parle /ʒə paʁl/ | j’aime /ʒɛm/ | |
| on | on parle /ɔ̃ paʁl/ | on aime /ɔ̃ nɛm/ | |
| nous | nous parlons /nu paʁlɔ̃/ | nous aimons /nu zɛmɔ̃/ | |
| vous | vous parlez /vu paʁle/ | vous aimez /vu zɛme/ | |
| ils | ils parlent /il paʁl/ | ils aiment /il zɛm/ | |
| elles | elles parlent /ɛl paʁl/ | elles aiment /ɛl zɛm/ |
- Before a vowel, on links with /n/, and nous, vous, ils and elles with /z/. On a faim. / Nous avons faim. / Ils ont faim.We're hungry. / We're hungry. / They're hungry.
- Il and ils both sound /il/; the liaison in /z/ or the verb form tells them apart. Il a faim /il a/. · Ils ont faim /il zɔ̃/. · Ils sont là /il sɔ̃/.He is hungry. / They are hungry. / They are here.
- All liaisons and elisions: see Liaison and Elision.
Typical errors
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| Wrong | Right | Rule | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je habite à Lyon. | J’habite à Lyon. | je becomes j’ before a vowel or a silent h | |
| Où est la clé ? Il est sur la table. | Où est la clé ? Elle est sur la table. | la clé is feminine: elle; le livre is masculine: il | |
| Léa et Paul sont là. Elles travaillent. | Léa et Paul sont là. Ils travaillent. | a mixed group is ils | |
| On parlons français. | On parle français. | on takes the il form |