Subject Pronouns (je, tu, il/elle, nous, vous, ils/elles)

Subject pronouns are the words that replace nouns as the subject of a sentence — "I," "you," "he," "she," "we," "they." In French, subject pronouns are essential because French verbs change their form (conjugation) depending on the subject. You cannot conjugate verbs correctly without knowing the pronouns.

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The French Subject Pronouns

French	English	Pronunciation
je (j')	I	"zhuh"
tu	you (informal singular)	"too"
il	he / it (masculine)	"eel"
elle	she / it (feminine)	"ehl"
on	one / we (informal)	"ohn"
nous	we (formal/standard)	"noo"
vous	you (formal singular / all plurals)	"voo"
ils	they (masculine or mixed group)	"eel"
elles	they (all-feminine group)	"ehl"

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Je — I

Je is always lowercase in French (unless it starts a sentence). Before a verb beginning with a vowel or silent h, it becomes j' (elision).

Examples:

• Je parle français. — I speak French.
• J'aime le chocolat. — I like chocolate.
• Je suis anglais. — I am English.
• J'habite à Londres. — I live in London.
• Je ne comprends pas. — I don't understand.

Note: Unlike English "I," French je is never capitalised in the middle of a sentence. Only capitalise it at the beginning of a sentence.

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Tu vs Vous — Two "You" Pronouns

This distinction was introduced in the greetings lesson, but it is worth revisiting here as it is central to French grammar.

Tu — Informal Singular "You"

Use tu when speaking to:

• One friend or family member
• A child
• A peer or classmate
• An animal

Tu always refers to one person in an informal context.

Examples:

• Tu as un chien ? — Do you have a dog?
• Tu viens demain ? — Are you coming tomorrow?
• Tu es français ? — Are you French?

Vous — Formal Singular or Any Plural "You"

Vous serves two distinct functions:

1. Formal singular — addressing one person respectfully
2. Plural — addressing two or more people (formal or informal)

Formal singular examples:

• Vous êtes le professeur ? — Are you the teacher?
• Comment allez-vous ? — How are you? (formal)

Plural examples:

• Vous venez à la fête ? — Are you (all) coming to the party?
• Vous avez des enfants ? — Do you (all) have children?

How to tell formal singular from plural: Context and verb agreement usually make it clear. When addressing a group, vous is always plural. When addressing one person you do not know well, vous is formal singular.

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Il / Elle — He / She / It

Il — He or It (Masculine)

Usage	Example
Referring to a male person	Il est grand. (He is tall.)
Replacing a masculine noun	Le livre est bon. Il est bon. (The book is good. It is good.)
Impersonal expressions	Il fait beau. (The weather is nice.) Il est midi. (It is noon.)

Elle — She or It (Feminine)

Usage	Example
Referring to a female person	Elle est grande. (She is tall.)
Replacing a feminine noun	La voiture est rouge. Elle est rouge. (The car is red. It is red.)

Key Point: In French, "it" is always either il or elle depending on the gender of the noun being replaced. There is no neutral "it."

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On — The Versatile Pronoun

On is one of the most useful and frequently used pronouns in spoken French. It has several meanings:

1. "We" (informal, most common in conversation)

In everyday spoken French, on is used far more often than nous to mean "we."