IV – Subject Pronouns

French Subject Pronouns

• Je (I)
• Tu (You – singular, informal)
• Il (He/It – for masculine nouns)
• Elle (She/It – for feminine nouns)
• On (One/We/People – informal)
• Nous (We)
• Vous (You – plural or formal singular)
• Ils (They – for masculine or mixed groups)
• Elles (They – for feminine groups only)

Usage and Differences from English

French subject pronouns are not capitalized unless they start a sentence.
“It” doesn’t exist in French, use “il” for masculine nouns and “elle” for feminine nouns.

Example: Le livre, il est intéressant. (The book, it is interesting.) -> We use « il » because the word « livre » is a masculine nouns ( « UN livre)

La table, elle est grande. (The table, it is big.) -> We use «  elle » because the word « table » is a feminine nouns ( « UNE table »).

• “On” can mean “one,” “we,” or “people” in general.
  Example: On parle français ici. (We/One speaks French here.)Practice : « On » is often used as an alternative of «  We », so if you want talk about a group where you are include, you can use « On » or « Nous », the meaning and understanding is same.
  Exemple : Dans mon groupe d’amis, on joue de la guitare – Dans mon groupe d’amis, nous jouons de la guitare ( In french, We can understand that in my friends teams, we are playing guitar).
• “Vous” is used for both plural “you” and as a formal singular “you.”

Example – for plural of « you » : In your family, you like to watch the Superbowl -> Dans votre famille, vous aimez regarder le superbowl. ( We talk about many people : the familly)

Example – for formal singular ( used for unkown people, doctor, professor, teacher or else executive manager) : Hello Mister Jack, did you received my homework by email ? -> Bonjour Monsieur Jack, avez-vous reçu mon devoir par Email (courriel) ? ( We directly talk with a teacher, we must use «  vous » out of politeness to adult and responsible people).

Formality

• “Tu” for friends, family, children, and informal situations.
• “Vous” (singular) for strangers, professional settings, or to show respect.

Pronoun Order

When using multiple pronouns, the order is: Je, Tu, Il/Elle/On, Nous, Vous, Ils/Elles

Pronouns with Prepositions

When a pronoun follows a preposition, different forms are used. These are called stressed pronouns or disjunctive pronouns:

• Moi (me)
• Toi (you – singular informal)
• Lui (him/it – masculine)
• Elle (her/it – feminine)
• Soi (oneself)
• Nous (us)
• Vous (you – plural or formal)
• Eux (them – masculine or mixed)
• Elles (them – feminine)

These pronouns are used in several situations:

a) After prepositions:

• Pour moi (for me)
• Avec toi (with you)
• Chez nous (at our place)/
• Sans eux (without them)

b) For emphasis or contrast:

• Moi, je préfère le café. (As for me, I prefer coffee.)
• C’est lui qui a gagné. (It’s he who won.)

1. c) In comparisons:

• Elle est plus grande que moi. (She is taller than me.)

1. d) As a stand-alone answer:

• Qui veut du gâteau ? – Moi ! (Who wants cake? – Me!)

1. e) With certain verbs that require à or de:

• Je pense à elle. (I’m thinking of her.)
• Il se moque de nous. (He’s making fun of us.)

1. f) In compound subjects or objects:

• Toi et moi, nous sommes amis. (You and I, we are friends.)

Je vais au cinéma avec lui et elle. (I’m going to the cinema with him and her.)

Understanding the use of subject pronouns and their stressed counterparts is crucial for constructing proper French sentences and expressing oneself accurately. As you progress, you’ll become more comfortable with these pronouns and their various uses in different contexts.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns in French are used to replace a noun and indicate possession. Unlike possessive adjectives that precede a noun, possessive pronouns replace the noun and its article entirely. They agree in gender and number with the possessed object, not with the possessor. Here are their forms:

Singular:

• Le mien, la mienne (mine)
• Le tien, la tienne (yours – informal)
• Le sien, la sienne (his/hers/its)
• Le nôtre, la nôtre (ours)
• Le vôtre, la vôtre (yours – formal or plural)
• Le leur, la leur (theirs)

Plural:

• Les miens, les miennes (mine)
• Les tiens, les tiennes (yours – informal)
• Les siens, les siennes (his/hers/its)
• Les nôtres (ours)
• Les vôtres (yours – formal or plural)
• Les leurs (theirs)

Using possessive pronouns in French requires careful attention to agreement in gender and number with the possessed object.
For example, “C’est le mien” (It’s mine) refers to a masculine singular object, while “Ce sont les miennes” (They’re mine) refers to feminine plural objects.
This feature can be tricky for English speakers, as possessive pronouns in English don’t change based on the gender or number of the possessed object.

Possessive pronouns are often used in comparisons or to avoid repeating a noun that has already been mentioned.
For example: “Ta voiture est rouge, la mienne est bleue” (Your car is red, mine is blue).
They can also be used with the preposition “à” to express a relationship or characteristic: “C’est à moi” (It’s mine) can become “C’est le mien” (It’s mine) using the possessive pronoun.