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Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn the French personal pronouns: singular forms like "Je" (I), "Tu" (you familiar), "Il/Elle/On" (he/she/one), and plural forms "Nous" (we), "Vous" (you formal or plural), "Ils/Elles" (they masculine/feminine). Understand their use in expressing subjects and politeness.
  1. Pronouns reflect the gender (masculine or feminine) and the number (singular or plural) of the subject.
  2. "Tu" is used in an informal situation.
  3. "Vous" is used to speak to multiple people or in a formal situation to show respect to a single person (politeness).
SingulierPluriel
JeNous
TuVous
Il / Elle / OnIls / Elles

Exceptions!

  1. The pronoun "on" can be used in speech to replace "nous" or impersonally, to talk about people in general: "On mange à midi."

Exercise 1: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Comment ___ va ?

(How ___ are you?)

2. ___ suis enchanté de faire votre connaissance.

(___ am delighted to make your acquaintance.)

3. ___ êtes monsieur Dupont, n'est-ce pas ?

(___ are Mr. Dupont, aren't you?)

4. ___ as un stylo ?

(___ have a pen?)

5. Ça ___ très bien, merci !

(It ___ is going very well, thank you!)

6. À bientôt, bonne ___ !

(See you soon, have a good ___!)

Understanding French Personal Pronouns

This lesson introduces you to the essential French personal pronouns, which are used to replace nouns when talking about people or things. Mastery of these pronouns is fundamental at the A1 level as they form the basis of most simple conversations.

Singular and Plural Pronouns

Personal pronouns in French reflect both gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). Here is a simple table to help you visualize these pronouns:

SingularPlural
JeNous
TuVous
Il / Elle / OnIls / Elles

Usage and Context

  • Je means "I" and is used when talking about yourself.
  • Tu means "you" (singular, informal) and is used with friends, family, or people you know well.
  • Vous is used as a polite form when speaking to one person formally or when speaking to multiple people.
  • Il and Elle mean "he" and "she" respectively, reflecting gender.
  • On is a very common pronoun used in spoken French. It can replace "nous" (we) informally or express a general meaning equivalent to "one" or "people".
  • Ils and Elles are the masculine and feminine plural forms respectively.

Key Points to Remember

French pronouns must agree with the subject in both number and gender. For instance, "ils" refers to a group of males or a mixed group, while "elles" refers exclusively to a group of females.

Practical Examples

  • Comment ça va ? (How are things going?)
  • Je suis enchanté de faire votre connaissance. (I am delighted to meet you.)
  • Vous êtes monsieur Dupont, n'est-ce pas ? (You are Mr. Dupont, aren't you?)
  • Tu as un stylo ? (Do you have a pen?)
  • On mange à midi. (We/One eats at noon.)

Differences and Useful Expressions

Unlike English, which uses "you" for both singular and plural as well as formal and informal contexts, French distinguishes between "tu" and "vous" based on familiarity and number. Remember to use "tu" with friends and family, but switch to "vous" in formal situations or when addressing more than one person.

The pronoun on is very versatile in French and often replaces "we" in informal speech, which is not a direct equivalent in English but is used to express general or impersonal actions, for example, On mange à midi. (We eat at noon/People eat at noon.)

Common phrases include:

  • Comment ça va ? - How are you?
  • Je suis - I am
  • Tu as - You have (informal)
  • Vous êtes - You are (formal or plural)

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This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

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Azéline Perrin

Bachelor Degree in Applied Foreign Languages

Université de Lorraine

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 17/07/2025 01:41