Table of Contents
Here is a simple lesson on French personal pronouns.
There are more personal pronouns in French than there are in English. Their use is quite interesting. Read about their use and do the interactive exercises below.
French Personal Pronouns
|
French |
English |
Explanation |
|
Je |
I |
|
|
Tu |
You |
An informal way of addressing people. You use it when talking to friends, family, or people who are younger than you. |
|
Il |
He |
|
|
Elle |
She |
|
|
On |
We |
This word has no direct equivalent in English. The simplest and the most common use is the English “We”. As a beginner, you may think of it as a less formal way of saying “nous” (“We” in English), and you will be perfectly fine. |
|
Ce / c’ |
It |
It is used to speak about objects and impersonal things. |
|
Nous |
We |
|
|
Vous |
You |
“Vous” is the plural of “tu”. So you use it to speak to more than one person. It is also a formal way of addressing people you don’t know to show some respect and to be polite. |
|
Ils |
They |
It is the masculine form of “they” when speaking about a group of men or a group of men and women together. |
|
Elles |
They |
The feminine form of they, that is a group composed of women only. |
Exercises
Thanks for the help! I didn't know "on" was an informal way of saying "we".
I am relly sorry but as I am french I can say that the french personal pronouns “on” isn’t an informal way of saying “we”.
Indeed, it’s a neutral pronouns wich is used to name an indermined subject as “quelqu’un” (ex. “on sonne à la porte” = “quelqu’un sonne à la porte” = “somebody is ringing the doorbell”) or to talk about people (ex. “En France, on aime manger” = “En France, les gens aiment manger” = “In France, people like eating”).
What you are saying is just another aspect of using that pronoun, more of advanced use. The most common use to remember and to start with in learning French is to treat it as “we”. Thanks for you comment.