Personal pronouns

Question 1

What is the difference between personal and impersonal pronouns?

Answer 1

A personal pronoun refers to a person/object, whereas impersonal pronouns refer to no-one or nothing in particular.

Question 2

What is the indirect object pronoun for 3rd person plural (ils/elles)

Answer 2

Leur - je leur ai donné (I gave it to them)

Question 3

What is the indirect object pronoun for 3rd person singular? (il/elle/on)

Answer 3

Lui

Question 4

What are subject pronouns?

Answer 4

They are nouns which replace a word or a group of words which act as subjects - e.g. la table est grand –> elle est grand.

Question 5

Where do you place subject pronouns in a sentence?

Answer 5

they come before the verb.

Question 6

what are object pronouns?

Answer 6

pronouns which replace a noun which is the object of a sentence. (a person or thing which has the action of the verb done to it/him)

Question 7

How do you distinguish between direct and indirect objects?

Answer 7

• Direct object follows the verb directly.

- indirect object follows the verb after the preposition à.

Question 8

Where is the object pronoun placed if it is a simple sentence?

Answer 8

before a conjugated verb and before voici/voilà

Question 9

Where is the object pronoun placed if it has the auxiliary verbs AVOIR/ETRE?

Answer 9

Before the auxiliary in compound tenses

Question 10

Where is the object pronoun placed if it is a negative or interrogative phrase?

Answer 10

Immediately before the verb or auxiliary

Question 11

Where is the object pronoun placed if it is an affirmative imperative?

Answer 11

After the verb with a hyphen (e.g. Donne-lui son jouet)

Question 12

What happens if there are several object pronouns?

Answer 12

There is a specific order, to be learnt by heart.
Firstly
Me, te, se, nous, vous

followed by
le la les

followed by
lui leur

followed by
y

followed by
en

Question 13

What is the pronoun ‘y’ used to replace?

Answer 13

1) à + thing (NOT PEOPLE)
2) à + clause (small sentence if the verb keeps the construction with a noun
3) à/dans/en/sur + place name

Question 14

What is the pronoun ‘en’ used to replace?

Answer 14

1) de + noun or infinitive
2) de + clause if verb keeps the de construction with a noun
3) de + place name
4) du/de la/des + noun
5) also used with numbers and expressions of quantity with de e.g. trop de, beaucoup de…