Transcript Subject Pronouns

Subject Pronouns
Français 1
Subject Pronouns
Subject pronouns are used when the
pronoun is the subject of the sentence.
You can remember subject pronouns
easily by filling in the blank subject space
for a simple sentence.
Example:
______ did the job.
I, you, he, she, it, we, and they all fit into
the blank and are, therefore, subject
pronouns.
In French, just like in English,
a sentence must have
a subject and a verb.
When studying French, you must
understand subject pronouns
before you can begin learning how
to conjugate verbs, because the
forms of verbs change for each
subject pronoun.
Subject Pronouns
1ST, 2ND, 3RD
Person Singular
• Je  I
• Tu  you
Il  He /it
Elle  She /it
On  one /we,
they, the people,
someone
1ST, 2ND, 3RD
Person Plural
• Nous  we
• Vous  you
Ils  They
Elles  They
French Subject Pronouns:
je = I
• Je contracts to j' when followed by a
vowel or mute h.
• Unlike I, in French je is only capitalized
at the beginning of a sentence.
Examples
• Je mange un sandwich. (I eat a sandwich.)
• Je joue au foot. (I play soccer.)
• J’aime les frites. (I like fries.)
• J’écoute la musique. (I listen to music.)
French Subject Pronouns:
tu, vous = you
• French has two different words for you:
Vous is the formal and plural you.
tu and vous.
Tu is the familiar you,
which demonstrates a
certain closeness and
informality.
Use tu when speaking to
one: friend , peer,
colleague, relative,
child, or pet.
It is used to show respect or
maintain a certain distance or
formality with someone.
Use vous when speaking to one:
person you don't know well,
someone older, an authority
figure, or anyone to whom you
wish to show respect.
Vous is also the plural you and
must be used when talking to
more than one person (y’all).
French Subject Pronouns:
il, elle = he, she, it
• Il can refer to a male, he, as well a
masculine noun/object, it.
• Elle can refer to a female, she, or a
feminine noun/object, it.
French Subject Pronouns:
on = one, we, you, they
• On is the indefinite pronoun and literally
means one. It's often equivalent to the
passive voice in English.
• In addition, on is an informal
replacement for we, you, they,
someone, or people in general.
French Subject Pronouns:
nous = we
• The first person plural French
subject pronoun nous is used
exactly like we in English.
French Subject Pronouns:
ils, elles = they
• Ils is used for groups of men as well as mixed-gender
groups (Even when talking about a room full of hundred
women and one man, you have to use ils- French male
domination!).
• Ils is also used for groups of all masculine nouns and groups
of mixed masculine-feminine nouns.
• Elles can be used only when every single person or thing
you're referring to is female or feminine.
LA FIN