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Learn to Speak French Online:
French Grammar Guidebook

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Subject Pronouns

Pronouns
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The subject can take on many different forms, as you will see in the following examples:
 

The dog bites the cat.
The red cape is ugly.
We don’t want to know.
The house that we bought last year has fallen into the ocean.
Mary!! Come back.
Mary comes back.
Y’all be good now.
You are good.

Personal Subject pronouns are used when the subject is a person. "He," "she," "it," and "they" are also used to replace proper names or things that have already been mentioned. The pronouns are as follows:
 

je I
tu you
il he, it (m.)
elle she, it (f.)
ça it, that (m., f.)
on* one, you, we, they
nous we
vous you
ils they (m.)
elles they (f.)

*The use of on is explained in another section. Click here if you wish to view this section.
 
Tu is used among friends and family members, while vous is a polite way of addressing "you" (singular) as well as "you" (plural). To be on the correct side, use the formal address vous until you are offered the tutoiement—the use of the informal address.

Subject pronouns il, elle, ils, and elles often replace nouns in a sentence:
 

Où est le restaurant? Il est là-bas.
Where is the restaurant? It is over there.

 
Où sont les restaurants? Ils sont là-bas.
Where are the restaurants? They are over there.

Note that the noun "restaurant(s)" is replaced by the pronouns "it/they" as an answer to a question. In French, the same pattern takes place, although there is no form for "it." You must decide between il(s) and elle(s) when referring to things (in the case of the restaurant—il). Again, it is necessary to know the gender and the number of the noun you are replacing.



Examples of Subject Pronouns

  • Pardon? Oui, je suis Mme Thomas.
  • Très bien, merci, et vous?
  • Ça va.
  • Vous cherchez M. Laborde? Je suis désolé. Je ne sais pas où il est.