French Subject Pronoun
See also: Pronom and Pronoun Types
Subject pronouns replace nouns whose function is to perform the action of a verb.
For example:
La fille chante. - The girl is singing.
-> Elle chante. - She is singing.
French has 9 subject pronouns:
| Personne et nombre |
Pronoms | English pronouns |
| première personne du singulier | je | I |
| deuxième personne du singulier | tu | you |
| troisième personne du singulier | il / elle / on | he (it) / she (it) / we (one) |
| première personne du pluriel | nous | we |
| deuxième personne du pluriel | vous | you |
| troisième personne du pluriel | ils / elles | they |
Note the following differences with English:
- two ways to say 'you'
- tu is used for singular you in an informal context
- vous is used for plural you or singular you in a formal context
- two ways to say 'it'
- il is used for masculine nouns (things and beings)
- elle is used for feminine nouns (things and beings)
- two ways to say 'we'
- nous needs a plural verb conjugation
- on needs a singular verb conjugations, the same one as 'il / elle' (note: on also has other meanings)
Nous allons à la plage. / On va à la plage. - We're going to the beach.
- two ways to say 'they'
- ils replaces male or mixed gender groups
- elles replaces exclusively female groups
The subject pronoun il can also be used in an impersonal context, such as
Il faut dormir la nuit. - One must sleep at night.
Il est important de bien manger. - It is important to eat well.
