Subject Pronouns
Subject pronouns in French indicate who performs an action and guide verb conjugation. This short guide lists each pronoun with examples.
Subject Pronouns
| French Word(s) | English Word(s) |
|---|---|
| je | I |
| tu | you (informal) |
| il | he/it (masculine) |
| elle | she/it (feminine) |
| on | one/we/people (informal) |
| nous | we |
| vous | you (formal or plural) |
| ils | they (masculine or mixed) |
| elles | they (feminine) |
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| ☕ Je prends un café. | I am having a coffee. |
| 🍪 Tu veux un cookie ? | Do you want a cookie? |
| ☁️ Il regarde les nuages. | He is watching the clouds. |
| 🌳 Elle lit sous l’arbre. | She is reading under the tree. |
| 🐶 On promène le chien. | We/One is walking the dog. |
| 🍰 Nous partageons un gâteau. | We are sharing a cake. |
| 🏃♂️ Vous courez dans le parc. | You are running in the park. |
| 🐦 Ils nourrissent les oiseaux. | They are feeding the birds. |
| 🐱 Elles jouent avec le chat. | They (f.) are playing with the cat. |
Sign In
Add an email to access exercises.
Uses of on
On commonly replaces nous in speech for a more natural tone, and it can mean "people," "one," or "they" depending on context. It always takes third-person singular verbs.
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| ☕ On va au café du coin. | We’re going to the café on the corner. |
| 🧹 On a fait le ménage ensemble. | We did the cleaning together. |
| 🗣️ On dit que le nouveau livre est génial. | People say the new book is great. |
| 🐾 On a vu des chiens jouer au parc. | Someone saw dogs playing in the park. |
| 📅 On se retrouve vendredi ? | Shall we meet on Friday? |
Sign In
Add an email to access exercises.
Emphatic and Disjunctive Pronouns
Emphatic (disjunctive) pronouns like moi, toi, lui, elle are used for emphasis, after prepositions, or in comparisons. They differ from subject pronouns and serve different functions.
| French Subject Pronoun | French Emphatic Pronoun |
|---|---|
| je | moi |
| tu | toi |
| il | lui |
| elle | elle |
| nous | nous |
| vous | vous |
| ils | eux |
| elles | elles |
| French Example | English Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ☕ Moi, je préfère le café le matin. | Me, I prefer coffee in the morning. | Emphasis |
| 🗣️ Toi, tu parles si bien français ! | You, you speak French so well! | Emphasis |
| 🐶 Lui, il adore courir au parc. | Him, he loves running in the park. | Emphasis |
| 🌸 Elle, elle s’occupe des fleurs. | Her, she takes care of the flowers. | Emphasis |
| 🧍♂️ On est parti sans moi. | One left without me. | Neutral subject |
| 🐕 Moi avec le chien, on fait une grande promenade. | Me with the dog, we’re going on a big walk. | After avec |
| 🧑🤝🧑 Toi et moi, on peut réserver une table. | You and me, we can book a table. | Compound subject |
| 🚶♀️ Elles sont parties tôt. | They (f.) left early. | Subject pronoun |
| 🙋♂️ Lui aussi veut un croissant. | Him too wants a croissant. | Disjunctive after aussi |
| 🪞 Moi devant le miroir, je révise mes phrases. | Me in front of the mirror, I practice my sentences. | Topic fronting |
Sign In
Add an email to access exercises.
Summary
French subject pronouns (je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils, elles) mark who does an action and determine verb endings. Use on for informal nous or generalizing, and switch to emphatic pronouns (moi, toi, lui, etc.) when adding emphasis or after prepositions.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025