Les pronoms sujets / Subject Pronouns

French has nine subject pronouns. Choosing the right one matters — especially the distinction between tu (informal you) and vous (formal/plural you), covered in the next lesson.

French	IPA	English	Note
je / j’	[ʒə]	I	j’ before vowel
tu	[ty]	you (informal)	one person
il	[il]	he / it (m.)	also impersonal
elle	[ɛl]	she / it (f.)	matches noun gender
on	[ɔ̃]	one / we	very common for “we”
nous	[nu]	we	formal / written
vous	[vu]	you (formal / plural)	always for 2+ people
ils	[il]	they (m. / mixed)	even 1 male in group
elles	[ɛl]	they (f. only)	all female

Singular Pronouns

Je — becomes j’ before a vowel or silent h (elision). Unlike English “I”,
je is not capitalized mid-sentence.

• Je parle français. [ʒə paʁl fʁɑ̃.sɛ] — I speak French.
• J’habite à Lyon. [ʒa.bit a ljɔ̃] — I live in Lyon.

Tu — informal “you” for friends, family, children, peers.

• Tu parles anglais? [ty paʁl ɑ̃.ɡlɛ] — Do you speak English?

Il / Elle — for people and things (matching grammatical gender).

• Il est médecin. — He is a doctor.
• La voiture? Elle est au garage. — The car? It’s in the garage.

Il is also used in impersonal expressions: Il pleut (It’s raining), Il faut
(One must), Il y a (There is).

On — The Versatile Pronoun

On always takes 3rd person singular verbs, even when it means “we”:

• On va au cinéma? — Shall we go to the movies? (= nous, informal)
• On parle français en France. — People speak French in France. (= general)
• On frappe à la porte. — Someone’s knocking. (= unspecified person)

Plural Pronouns

Nous — formal “we.” In spoken French, on often replaces it.

• Nous parlons anglais. [nu paʁ.lɔ̃ ɑ̃.ɡlɛ] — We speak English.

Vous — formal singular OR any plural “you.”

• Vous parlez français? — Do you speak French? (formal or group)

Ils / Elles — “they.” Use elles only when the entire group is feminine.
Any mixed group uses ils.

• Pierre et Marie? Ils sont mariés. — They are married. (mixed → ils)
• Marie et Sophie? Elles sont sœurs. — They are sisters. (all female → elles)
• Les clés? Elles sont dans le sac. — The keys? They’re in the bag. (clé = feminine)

Liaison with Plural Pronouns

When plural pronouns are followed by a vowel, a [z] liaison occurs:

• nous avons [nu.za.vɔ̃], vous êtes [vu.zɛt], ils ont [il.zɔ̃]

Common Mistakes

❌ Wrong	✓ Correct	Why
Je aime	J’aime	Elision before vowel
On allons	On va	On takes 3rd person singular
La table, il est grand	La table, elle est grande	Table is feminine
Marie et Pierre? Elles…	Ils sont mariés.	Mixed group = ils

Practice Sentences

1. Je m’appelle Marie et j’habite à Paris.
   [ʒə ma.pɛl ma.ʁi e ʒa.bit a pa.ʁi]
   My name is Marie and I live in Paris.
2. Il est français mais elle est italienne.
   [il ɛ fʁɑ̃.sɛ mɛ ɛl ɛ i.ta.ljɛn]
   He is French but she is Italian.
3. On va au cinéma? Il y a un bon film.
   [ɔ̃ va o si.ne.ma il ja œ̃ bɔ̃ film]
   Shall we go to the movies? There’s a good film.
4. Nous avons une réunion à dix heures.
   [nu.za.vɔ̃ yn ʁe.y.njɔ̃ a di.zœʁ]
   We have a meeting at ten o’clock.
5. Les filles? Elles arrivent dans une heure.
   [le fij ɛl.za.ʁiv dɑ̃.zyn œʁ]
   The girls? They’re arriving in an hour.

Exercise: Choose the Correct Pronoun

Fill in with the correct subject pronoun:

1. _______ parle français. (I)
2. _______ aime la musique. (I, before vowel)
3. _______ va au café? (we, informal)
4. La voiture? _______ est rouge. (it, feminine)
5. Marie et Sophie? _______ sont amies. (they, all female)

Answers

1. Je — before consonant
2. J’ — elision before vowel
3. On — informal “we”
4. Elle — voiture is feminine
5. Elles — all female group