Subject Pronouns
The subject of a verb is the person or thing which performs the action of that verb:
Tom travaille.
Tom is working.
Mes parents habitent en Espagne.
My parents live in Spain.
La voiture ne veut pas démarrer.
The car won’t start.
Subject pronouns replace this person or thing:
Il travaille.
He is working.
Ils habitent en Espagne.
They live in Spain.
Elle ne veut pas démarrer.
It won’t start.
When studying French, you must understand subject pronouns before you can begin learning how to conjugate verbs , because the forms of verbs change for each subject pronoun.
Click below for detailed information about how to use each French subject pronoun:
Singular
1st person je I
2nd person tu you
3rd person il he, it elle she, it on one
Plural
1st person nous we
2nd person vous you
3rd person ils they (m) elles they (f)
French subject pronoun: je = I
The first person singular French subject pronoun je (listen) is used a lot like its English equivalent “I”:
Je travaille tous les jours.
I work every day.
Je veux voir ce film.
I want to see this movie.
Je sais ce qui s’est passé.
I know what happened.
Notes
1. Unlike “I,” je is only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence.
Hier, je suis allé à la plage.
Yesterday, I went to the beach.
Non, je ne veux pas voir ce film.
No, I don’t want to see this movie.
Dois-je commencer maintenant ?
Do I have to start now?
2. Je must contract to j’ when followed by a vowel or mute h.
J’aime danser.
I like to dance.
Tu sais, j’ai le même problème.
You know, I have the same problem.
Oui, j’habite en France.
Yes, I live in France.
French subject pronouns: tu, vous = you
In English, the second person subject pronoun is always “you,” no matter how many people you’re talking to, and regardless of whether you know them. But French has two different words for “you”: tu ( listen ) and vous ( listen ).
The difference in meaning between these two words is very important* – you must understand when and why to use each of them. Otherwise, you may inadvertently insult someone by using the wrong “you.”
Tu is the familiar “you,” which demonstrates a certain closeness and informality. Use tu when speaking to one
- · friend
- · peer / colleague
- · relative
- · child
- · pet
Vous is the formal “you.” It is used to show respect or maintain a certain distance or formality with someone. Use vous when speaking to
- · someone you don’t know well
- · an older person
- · an authority figure
- · anyone to whom you wish to show respect
Vous is also the plural “you” – you have to use it when talking to more than one person, no matter how close you are.
Summary
- · familiar and singular: tu
- · familiar and plural: vous
- · formal and singular: vous
- · formal and plural: vous
Because the tu / vous distinction doesn’t exist in English, beginning French students often have trouble with it. Some people follow the guideline of using whatever the other person uses with them. This can be misleading: someone in authority may use tu with you, but that certainly doesn’t mean that you can respond in kind. You can try asking On peut se tutoyer?, but when in doubt, I tend to use vous . I’d rather show someone too much respect than not enough!
*There are even verbs to indicate which pronoun you’re using:
tutoyer = to use tu
vouvoyer = to use vous
Quiz on tu vs vous