Pronouns Flashcards
List the subject pronouns in French and their English translations.
-je/j’ = I
-tu = you
-il/elle/on = he, it/she, it/you (sing. formal)
-nous = we
-vous = you (pl. informal)
-ils/elles = they (m., f.)/you (pl. f.)
What are the direct object pronouns in French and their English translations?
-me/m’ = me
-te/t’ = you (sing. informal)
-le/l’, la/l’ = him, it/her, it
-nous = us
-vous = you (pl.)
-les = them (m., f.)
The indirect object pronouns in French and their English translations are…
-me = me
-te = you (sing., inf.)
-lui = him, it/her
-nous = us
-vous = you (pl. informal)
-leur = them
List the prepositional pronouns in French.
-moi = me
-toi = you (sing. informal)
-lui/elle = him, it/her/you (sing., formal)
-nous = us
-vous = you (pl. informal)
-eux/elles = them (m., f.)/you (pl. formal)
What are the reflexive pronouns in French?
-me/m’ = myself
-te/t’ = yourself
-se/s’ = himself/herself/itself/themselves
-nous = ourselves
-vous = yourselves
Translate “I am a student.”
Je suis un étudiant.
What’s “I love,” in French? Explain.
J’aime.
“Je” becomes “J’” before words beginning in a vowel, h, or y.
State “I live in Paris,” in French. Defend your answer.
J’habite à Paris.
“Je” becomes “J’” before words beginning in a vowel, h, or y.
Fill in the blank: __ vais bientôt. (I am going there soon.) Justify your response.
J’y
“Je” becomes “J’” before words beginning in a vowel, h, or y.
Translate the following: “You [familiar, singular] are very kind.”
Tu es très gentil.
tu = you (familiar, singular)
What is “you” (familiar, plural) in French?
-vous
Translate the following: “You [formal, singular] are very kind.”
Vous êtes très gentil.
vous = you (formal, singular and plural)
Si on aime, on est heureux.
What does the above sentence mean? Explain your translation.
If people (one, they, you) love(s), people (one, they, you) are (is) happy.
The pronoun “on” is used in the third person form of the verb and means one, people, they, you.
Nous allons au cinéma ce soir. (We’re going to the cinema tonight.)
Another way of expressing the above sentence is…
On va au cinéma ce soir.
In informal everyday French, “on” can mean “we,” replacing “nous.”
State “I was given a gift,” without using the passive voice.
On m’a donné un cadeau.
Avoid the passive voice by using the pronoun “on.”
Translate: “Today we are going to the city center.”
Ajourd’hui nous allons au centre ville.
Subject pronouns are usually omitted, because the verb conjugation indicates the subject.
True or false: “It is raining” in French is “Il pleut.”
True. When talking about time and the weather in French, the pronoun “il” is used (like ‘it.’)
Fill in the blank: ___, tu m’as dit que tu étais chez toi. (You, you told me that you were at home.)
Toi
The disjunctive pronoun is used to emphasize something or show contrast.
Translate “Who bought it? Me.”
Qui a acheté ça? Moi.
The disjunctive pronoun is used on its own without the verb.
Direct object pronouns replace…
the direct object noun in a sentence.
“Nous lisons des livres” (We read books).
The direct object noun in this sentence is…
“livres,” because it receives the action of “lisons.”
“Nous lisons de livres” (We read books).
Replace the direct object noun in this sentence with a direct object pronoun.
Nous les lisons.
“Livres” is plural, and since it represents inanimate objects, the third person direct object pronoun “les” is used.
Translate “They [masculine] love me.”
Ils m’aiment.
The direct object of a sentence can be a person.
(The direct object pronouns ‘me,’ ‘le,’ and ‘la,’ become ‘m’’ and ‘l’’ before verbs beginning in a vowel or mute ‘h.’)
True or false: “She buys it,” is “Elle le achète.”
False. The correct answer is “Elle l’achète.” The direct object pronouns “me,” “le,” and “la,” become “m’” and “l’” before verbs beginning in a vowel or mute “h.”
What are the two cases in which direct object pronouns are used?
-to substitute nouns when the thing/person being discussed is clear, and to avoid repetition
-to replace the entire information or idea that’s already been presented
Translate “Mark reads a book. He reads it.”
Mark lit le livre. Il le lit.
Direct object pronouns are used to substitute nouns when the thing/person being discussed is clear, and to avoid repetition.
“J’ai acheté une nouvelle robe. Je le sais,” (‘I bought a new robe. I know (it)’).
In these sentences, how is the direct object pronoun being used?
to replace the entire information or idea that’s already been presented
Order the following words to form the sentence “She has seen me”:
-elle
-vu
-m’a
Elle m’a vu.
In the perfect tense, the direct object pronoun precedes have/be in the verb conjugation.
Translate “Read it.”
Lis le.
The direct object pronoun follows affirmative commands.
What’s “Do not read it” in French?
Ne le lis pas.
In negative sentences, the direct object pronoun is placed between the negative and the verb.
In French, “He would like to see her,” is…
Il voudrait la voir.
When a verb is followed by another verb in the infinitive, the direct object pronoun is put before the infinitive.
Il a écrit une lettre à Sandra. (He wrote a letter to Sandra.)
Rewrite the above sentence using indirect object pronouns.
Il lui a écrit. (He wrote to her.)
“Sandra” is the indirect object and so can be replaced with the indirect object pronoun “lui.”