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Subject pronouns take the place of a noun as the subject of a sentence. In French, there are nine subject pronouns and two ways of saying 'you'. Direct object pronouns replace the noun that is the ...
Sep 17, 2024 · The 5 types of personal French pronouns. A personal pronoun is a pronoun used to designate a person (animals included). In English, these would include “you,” “I,” “he,” “she,” or “her.”. French grammar supplies plenty of ways to represent the person in question without endlessly repeating their name each time you want to ...
- What’s A Pronoun?
- How to Pick The Right French Pronoun?
- What Is A Subject Pronoun?
- French Stress Pronouns
- Direct and Indirect French Object Pronouns
- Other Types of French Pronouns
- Unlock Direct Or Indirect Object with French Verbs!
- Subtleties of French Object Pronouns
- List of French Pronouns
A pronoun is a small word which replaces a noun. For example, if I am talking about my friend Tina, I can say: Tina picks flowers. Tina likes flowers. Tina is happy. Or, I could replace “Tina” and use a pronoun, in this case “she”. Why “she” and not “her”? or “hers”? Because in this sentence, “Tina” is the grammatical subject. So I need to pick a s...
Understanding the value of the word the pronoun will replace
First, you have to figure out the grammatical value of the word you want to replace. 1. Tina donne des fleurs. Qui donne ? Tina donne. Qui + verb is the grammatical question you ask to figure out the subject. Since “Tina” answers “qui + verb”, Tina is the subject. Therefore, I will choose a subject pronoun to replace Tina.
The key to understanding French pronouns
This is often the biggest problem English speakers face when dealing with pronouns. They don’t know how to figure out the grammatical value of the noun they want to replace. In English, there are not so many pronouns. The choice between “she” or “her” or “hers” comes naturally to your ear. It takes about 10 years for a French kid to master all the different French pronouns: they mostly learn by repetition, although they do also spend years learning the theory in French class. Ideally, kids le...
The subject is the entity that does the action of the verb. There is an easy way to find the subject of a sentence. First, find the verb. Then ask: “who + verb” or “what + verb”. The answer to that question will be your subject.
Stress pronouns (also called “disjunctive” and “emphatic” pronouns) are used: 1. after “c’est”, 2. alone (as in pointing to someone to say “him”, or raising your hand to get picked), 3. and before and after prepositions/conjunctions. 1. c’est moi. 2. Moi, moi !! (shouting it out to get picked). 3. Avec toi… Lui et moi. The list of French stress pro...
The key to figuring out direct and indirect object pronouns
As I explained in the first paragraph, the key to figuring out what pronoun you should use to replace a French word is understanding the grammatical value of that word. To achieve that, you will ask a very specific grammatical question. To find out the COD (complement d’objet direct) and the COI (complement d’objet indirect) it is essential that you ask your grammatical questions IN FRENCH. The problem with direct and indirect objects is that English may take a COI where French takes a COD… S...
Direct object pronouns
The list of French COD pronouns is: 1. Me, te, le/la, nous, vous, les Note me, te, le/la become m’, t’, l’ + vowel or h in elision So for my example, “les fleurs” is replaced by “les” = Tina les donne à Paul. Tina gives them to Paul.
Indirect object pronouns
The list of French COI pronouns is: 1. Me, te, LUI, nous, vous, LEUR – note me and te become m’ or t’ + vowel or h So for my example, “à Paul” is replaced by “lui” = Tina lui donne les fleurs. Tina gives him the flowers So, for a COI, luimeans him AND her (unlike stress pronouns where luimeans him, ellemeans her). Important:Note that for both object groups, me, te, nous, vous are the same. So the pronoun only change between le, la, l’, les, lui, leur. Object pronouns usually go right before t...
The French pronoun “Y” and “En”
The French adverbial pronouns Y and En follow the same kind of logic. For each pronoun there are 2 main points to understand.
French Demonstrative pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns – this one, that one, the one[s], these, those in English – refer to a noun which was previously mentioned in the sentence. 1. celui– masculine singular 2. celle– feminine singular 3. ceux– masculine plural 4. celles– feminine plural Tu aimes celui-ci ? Moi je préfère celui-là ! You like this one? I like that one better!
Possessive pronouns
Possessive pronouns – mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs in English – refer to a noun which was previously mentioned in the sentence. Just like French possessive adjectives, French possessive pronouns have a double logic entry: 1. you have to select the pronoun according to the subject doing the action – so just like in English chose among mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs. 2. you also have to select the pronoun according to the possession being replaced: is-it feminine or masc...
To understand the difference between direct and indirect object, it’s interesting to take a closer look at your French verb. MANY FRENCH VERBS take direct object pronouns. ONLY A FEW FRENCH VERBS take indirect object pronouns: 1. acheter à – to buy from 2. emprunter à – to borrow from 3. prêter à – to lend to 4. offrir à – to give (as a present) to...
As I said earlier, I cannot cover all the subtleties of French pronouns in one article… It would take entire books. But here are some remarks I hope will help you understand the French pronouns better.
For what it’s worth, here is the list of French pronouns. This way you’ll have the correct terms and can look more into it if you like. I’ve included a translation… I don’t like to do it because there are many translations possible for these French pronouns. I hope that if you remember one thing from this guide is that translating pronouns from Eng...
- Camille Chevalier-Karfis
- Subject pronouns. Subject pronouns in French are used to replace a noun as the subject of a sentence. These include familiar pronouns like “je” (I), “tu” (you), and “il/elle” (he/she) as well as plural forms such as “nous” (we), “vous” (you all), and “ils/elles” (they).
- Direct object pronouns. Direct object pronouns replace a direct object in a sentence. Using direct object pronouns in French can help avoid repetition, making your speech or writing sound more fluid and natural.
- Indirect object pronouns. Indirect object pronouns are used to replace an indirect object, which is usually a person or thing that receives the action of the verb indirectly.
- Disjunctive pronouns. Disjunctive pronouns are unique to the French language. They are used to replace the names of people, often after prepositions or as an object of the verb “être.”
Aug 24, 2020 · 1- Personal Subject Pronouns. No matter your level of French, you already know these guys. They’re some of the most basic and common words in the language, featured in the very first sentences you ever learned. These pronouns simply replace the subject of a sentence. For example: Marie a faim. “Marie is hungry.”.
Dec 8, 2023 · For any beginner of the French language, grasping knowledge about subject pronouns is a must. These include je, tu, il/elle, nous vous and ils/elles, which are essential for understanding the fundamentals of this tongue. Learning these pronoun forms is an indispensable part when it comes to mastering French.
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There are many different pronouns in French, but we can distinguish 6 main categories: Contents. 1) Personal pronouns. Direct Object and Indirect Object pronouns. Stressed pronouns. 2) Possessive pronouns. 3) Demonstrative pronouns. Indefinite Demonstrative pronouns. 4) Relative pronouns.
