Practice Makes Perfect

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Subject pronouns

There are many types of pronouns in French. Let’s start with the subject pronouns 

you have already used when conjugating verbs.

je 

I

tu 

you (singular familiar)

il 

he, it (masculine)

elle 

she, it (feminine)

on 

one, we, they, people

nous 

we

vous 

you (singular formal and all plurals)

ils 

they (masculine, or mixed masculine and feminine)

elles 

they (feminine)

The third-person pronouns apply to people, animals, or things.

Bertrand est chirurgien. 

Bertrand is a surgeon.

Il est chirurgien. 

He is a surgeon.

Les trois sœurs jouent dans le salon. 

The three sisters are playing in  

   

  the living room.

Elles jouent dans le salon. 

They are playing in the living  

  

 room.

Le chat est assis sur la chaise. 

The cat is sitting on the chair.

Il est assis sur la chaise. 

It is sitting on the chair.

La ville est très polluée. 

The city is very polluted.

Elle est très polluée. 

It is very polluted.

Remember that there are two ways of saying you in French. Use tu and its 

verb forms to talk to friends, family members, children, and animals. Use vous 

when you are addressing a stranger or someone you don’t know well, or to main-

tain a certain degree of distance or respect. Note, however, that the contemporary 

trend is toward familiarity, especially among peers. It all depends on the setting 

and the crowd. However, it’s always a good idea to let the native French speaker 

initiate your first exchange with tu.

The pronoun on has several meanings. It may mean one, we, or they depend-

ing on how it is used. On can replace an indefinite person.

On voudrait tout réussir. 

One would like to succeed in  

 

 everything.

On ne peut pas penser à tout. 

One cannot think of everything.