The stressed pronouns moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles follow a preposition or c’est and add emphasis. After a preposition, use a stressed pronoun, never je or tu: Je viens avec toi. C’est pour lui.
Summary
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| Point | Rule | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form | moi / toi / lui / elle / nous / vous / eux / elles | Je viens avec toi. | I'm coming with you. | |
| After a preposition | always a stressed pronoun: avec, pour, de, chez… | Elle parle de lui. | She talks about him. | |
| After c’est | c’est + stressed pronoun: c’est moi, c’est toi | C’est moi. | It's me. | |
| Short answer | a stressed pronoun alone answers a question | Qui a faim ? — Moi. | Who is hungry? — Me. | |
| Moi aussi, moi non plus | aussi after a positive statement, non plus after a negative one | Je n’aime pas le thé. — Moi non plus. | I don't like tea. — Me neither. | |
| Emphasis | moi, toi… before the subject pronoun for emphasis | Moi, je parle français. | I speak French. | |
| Two subjects | a noun or pronoun + et + stressed pronoun | Léa et moi, nous sommes amis. | Léa and I are friends. | |
| After à | être à + stressed pronoun says whose a thing is | Ce stylo est à moi. | This pen is mine. | |
| Trap | never je or tu after a preposition or c’est | Viens avec moi. | Come with me. |
Overview
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- The stressed pronoun stands where a subject pronoun cannot stand alone: after a preposition, after c’est, in an answer. Je viens avec toi. / C’est moi.I'm coming with you. / It's me.
- The stressed pronoun does not replace the subject pronoun before the verb. Moi, je parle français.I speak French.
- The subject pronouns: see Subject Pronouns.
- Object pronouns such as lui, me, te: see Object Pronouns.
Form: the stressed pronouns
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| Person | Singular | Plural | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | moi | nous | |
| 2 | toi | vous | |
| 3 | lui / elle | eux / elles |
- Nous, vous, elle and elles have the same form as the subject pronoun. Il habite chez nous. / Je pars sans elles.He lives with us. / I'm leaving without them.
- Lui stands for il and eux for ils; eux means men or a mixed group. Marc est là : c’est lui. / Paul et Léa sont là : c’est pour eux.Marc is here: it's him. / Paul and Léa are here: it's for them.
- lui also serves as an object pronoun: see Object Pronouns.
Use: where a stressed pronoun goes
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| Use | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| After a preposition: avec, pour, sans, de, chez | Je viens avec toi. / Elle parle de lui. / Elle habite chez eux. | I'm coming with you. / She talks about him. / She lives with them. | |
| After c’est | C’est moi. / C’est nous. | It's me. / It's us. | |
| Alone, to answer a question | Qui a faim ? — Moi. | Who is hungry? — Me. | |
| moi aussi: after a positive statement | J’aime le thé. — Moi aussi. | I like tea. — Me too. | |
| moi non plus: after a negative statement | Je ne mange pas de viande. — Moi non plus. | I don't eat meat. — Me neither. | |
| Before the subject pronoun, for emphasis | Moi, je parle français. / Toi, tu viens ? | I speak French. / And you, are you coming? | |
| With et: two subjects together | Léa et moi, nous sommes amis. / Toi et Paul, vous habitez à Lyon ? | Léa and I are friends. / Do you and Paul live in Lyon? | |
| After à: whose a thing is | Ce stylo est à moi. / Ce sac est à elle. | This pen is mine. / This bag is hers. | |
| After que in a comparison | Il est plus grand que moi. / Elle est plus petite que toi. | He is taller than me. / She is smaller than you. |
- Prepositions of place, such as chez: see Prepositions of Place.
- For c’est and ce sont: see C’est and Il est.
- Comparatives: see Comparatives and Superlatives.
Pronunciation: the stressed pronouns
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| Person | Singular | Plural | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | /mwa/ | /nu/ | |
| 2 | /twa/ | /vu/ | |
| 3 | /lɥi/, /ɛl/ | /ø/, /ɛl/ |
- In eux, the x is silent: /ø/. Je pars avec eux /ʒə paʁ avɛk ø/.I'm leaving with them.
- Canada: In Québec speech, moi and toi are often said /mwɛ/ and /twɛ/.
- The sounds of French: see Pronunciation.
Typical errors
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| Wrong | Right | Rule | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je viens avec tu. | Je viens avec toi. | after a preposition, use toi, not tu | |
| C’est je. | C’est moi. | after c’est, use moi, not je | |
| Moi parle français. | Moi, je parle français. | before the verb, the subject pronoun stays: moi, je parle | |
| Je n’aime pas le thé. — Moi aussi. | Je n’aime pas le thé. — Moi non plus. | after a negative statement, “me neither” is moi non plus; moi aussi would mean “I like it” | |
| Léa et je, nous sommes amis. | Léa et moi, nous sommes amis. | in a double subject, use moi, not je |