This article is associated with the course(s):
Introduction to French Grammar
How to Use Subject Pronouns in French
French subject pronouns are small words such as je, tu, il and nous. They tell us who or what the verb relates to.
They are particularly important when learning French verbs because the form of a verb often changes depending on the subject.
In this lesson, we will learn the basic French subject pronouns and how to use them.
What is a subject pronoun?
The subject of a sentence is the person or thing doing the action, or the person or thing being described.
For example:
Marie parle français.
Marie speaks French.
Instead of repeating Marie, we can use a pronoun:
Elle parle français.
She speaks French.
Here, elle is the subject pronoun.
The same thing happens in English:
Paul travaille à Paris.
Paul works in Paris.
becomes:
Il travaille à Paris.
He works in Paris.
The French subject pronouns
These are the main subject pronouns to learn:
| French | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| je | I | Je parle français. – I speak French. |
| tu | you | Tu habites ici. – You live here. |
| il | he / it | Il travaille à Paris. – He works in Paris. |
| elle | she / it | Elle aime la musique. – She likes music. |
| nous | we | Nous parlons anglais. – We speak English. |
| vous | you | Vous habitez en France. – You live in France. |
| ils | they | Ils travaillent ensemble. – They work together. |
| elles | they | Elles aiment voyager. – They like travelling. |
Both tu and vous can mean you.
For now, remember that tu is used with one person in familiar situations, while vous is used with more than one person and can also be used politely with one person.
We will look more closely at choosing between them in the Go Deeper section below.
When does je become j’?
The pronoun je becomes j’ before a word beginning with a vowel or a silent h.
Compare:
Je parle français.
I speak French.
but:
J’aime la musique.
I like music.
J’habite à Londres.
I live in London.
J’écoute la radio.
I listen to the radio.
J’ is not a different pronoun. It is simply the shortened form of je.
Il and elle can also mean ‘it’
French nouns are either masculine or feminine.
Because of this, il and elle can refer to things as well as people.
For example:
Le livre est ici. Il est ici.
The book is here. It is here.
La voiture est ici. Elle est ici.
The car is here. It is here.
Ils or elles?
French also has two ways of saying they.
Use elles for a group that is entirely feminine:
Marie et Sophie travaillent ensemble. Elles travaillent ensemble.
Use ils for a masculine group or a mixed group:
Paul et Marc travaillent ensemble. Ils travaillent ensemble.
Paul et Sophie travaillent ensemble. Ils travaillent ensemble.
So:
- elles = an entirely feminine group
- ils = a masculine or mixed group
One more pronoun you will see: on
You will also see the subject pronoun on very frequently in French.
It can have meanings such as one or people, but in everyday French it is very often used to mean we.
For example:
On va au restaurant.
We’re going to the restaurant.
On parle français.
We speak French.
Although on can mean we, it uses the same verb form as il and elle:
Il parle.
Elle parle.
On parle.
You do not need to learn all the uses of on yet. The important thing is to recognise it when you see or hear it.
Why are subject pronouns important for French verbs?
French verbs often change according to the subject.
For example, look at the verb parler, meaning to speak:
You do not need to memorise this verb from this lesson.
The important point is simply this:
The subject pronoun tells you which form of the verb you need.
Once you know je, tu, il, elle, nous, vous, ils and elles, you are ready to start exploring how French verbs work.
Replace the subject
Replace the highlighted subject with the correct French subject pronoun. Select an answer to see the result.
Marie habite à Paris.
Paul aime le café.
Paul et Marie travaillent à Londres.
Anna et Sophie parlent français.
Le restaurant est fermé.
La banque est ouverte.
Shortened Form Practice
Je or j’?
Choose je or j’ to complete each sentence. Select an answer to see the result.
___ parle français.
___ habite à Paris.
___ aime le cinéma.
___ travaille ici.
Go Deeper
We have encountered a couple of new topics here. If you want to dig deeper into the intricacies of tu and vous, then check out our article that explains more about the background of where this comes from and how that has shaped today’s modern French usage. Or, if our talk of verbs has made you curious, why not go deeper into exploring verbs?!
When To Use Tu and Vous in French
You should always use vous to show respect to another individual, unless the need to show this respect does not exist.