Subject pronouns – je, tu, il, elle, nous, vous, ils, elles
Who is doing the action
In French, every verb needs a subject. When you don't name the person or thing doing the action, you use a subject pronoun: je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils, elles.
The subject pronouns
| French | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| je (j') | I | becomes j' before a vowel or mute h |
| tu | you | one person you know well |
| il | he, it | masculine person or thing |
| elle | she, it | feminine person or thing |
| on | we, one, people | very common in speech, see Subject pronoun |
| nous | we | |
| vous | you | formal, or more than one person |
| ils | they | masculine or mixed group |
| elles | they | all-female group only |
- Je suis à Paris.I'm in Paris.
- J'habite ici.I live here.
- Nous parlons français.We speak French.
Il and elle also mean "it"
French has no separate word for it. Because every noun is either masculine or feminine, you use il for a masculine noun and elle for a feminine one, even for objects.
- Le livre ? Il est sur la table.The book? It's on the table.
- La voiture ? Elle est rouge.The car? It's red.
- Le café est chaud : il est trop chaud !The coffee is hot: it's too hot!
Ils vs elles
Use ils for a group of men, a group of masculine things, or any mixed group, even if it's one man and ten women. Elles is only for groups where everyone (or everything) is feminine.
- Paul et Marie ? Ils sont en vacances.Paul and Marie? They're on holiday.
- Marie et Julie ? Elles sont en vacances.Marie and Julie? They're on holiday.
- Les pommes ? Elles sont délicieuses.The apples? They're delicious.
Ils and il sound exactly the same (the s is silent), except before a vowel, where ils links with a z sound: ils‿arrivent.
See also Tu vs vous and Stress pronouns.
Practice
- _____ suis étudiant.Options: Je · Tu · Il
Show the answer
Je
- Marie et Paul ? _____ sont au café.Options: Ils · Elles · Il
Show the answer
Ils — A mixed group is always ils.
- Marie et Sophie ? _____ sont au café.Options: Elles · Ils · Elle
Show the answer
Elles — Elles is for an all-female group.
- La voiture est rouge. _____ est rapide.Options: Elle · Il · Ça
Show the answer
Elle — Voiture is feminine, so 'it' is elle.