pronouns Flashcards
What is a subject pronoun?
Subject pronouns usually come before the verb in a clause and express who or what performs the action.
What is the French subject pronoun ‘I’?
je
abrieviated to j’ before a vowel or mute ‘h’
e.g.
Je parle français (I speak French)
What is the French subject pronoun ‘you’? (informal)
tu
e.g.
Tu parles français (You speak French)
N.B. This is the familiar singular form of ‘you’. The polite form is the plural form ‘vous’.
What is the French subject pronoun ‘he’?
il
e.g.
Il parle français (He speaks French)
What is the French subject pronoun ‘she’?
elle
e.g.
Elle parle français (She speaks French)
What is the French subject pronoun ‘one’?
on
e.g.
On parle français (One speaks French or we speak French)
N.B. On can mean one, we or they depending on the context
What is the French subject pronoun ‘we’?
nous
e.g.
Nous parlons français (We speak French)
What is the French subject pronoun ‘you’? (formal and plural)
vous
e.g.
Vous parlez français (You speak French)
What is the French subject pronoun ‘they’ (m)?
ils
e.g.
Ils parlent français (They speak French)
n.b. If a group contains at least one masculine member, then use ils
What is the French subject pronoun ‘they’ (f)?
elles
e.g.
Elles parlent français (They speak French)
What is a direct object pronoun?
Direct object pronouns replace a noun that is the object of the sentence. In French, they are always placed before the verb.
e.g. Je le prends (I’ll take it)
What is the French direct object pronoun ‘me’?
me
n.b. me is abrieviated to m’, if the next word begins with a vowel or mute ‘h’.
Pourrez-vous m’aider? (Can you help me?)
What is the French direct object pronoun ‘you’? (informal)
te
n.b. te is abrieviated to t’, if the next word begins with a vowel or mute ‘h’.
Je t’aime! (I love you!)
What is the French direct object pronoun ‘he’ or ‘it’?
le
n.b. le is abrieviated to l’, if the next word begins with a vowel or mute ‘h’.
Vous le voyez (You see him)
What is the French direct object pronoun ‘she’ or ‘it’?
la
n.b. la is abrieviated to l’, if the next word begins with a vowel or mute ‘h’.
Vous la voyez (You see her)
What is the French direct object pronoun ‘us’?
nous
Vous nous voyez (You see us)
What is the French direct object pronoun ‘you’? (formal)
vous
e.g.
Je peux vous aider (I can help you)
What is the French direct object pronoun ‘they’?
les
e.g.
Je peux les aider (I can help them)
What is an indirect object pronoun?
In French, an indirect object pronoun is used to replace a noun that would be introduced by / with the preposition à
e.g.
Je donne du café à mon père (I give my father a coffee)
Je lui donne du café (I give him some coffee)
What is the French indirect object pronoun ‘to me’?
me
n.b. me is abrieviated to m’, if the next word begins with a vowel or mute ‘h’.
Tu me donnes du café (You give me some coffee)
What is the French indirect object pronoun ‘to you’? (informal)
te
n.b. te is abrieviated to t’, if the next word begins with a vowel or mute ‘h’.
Je te donne du café (I give you some coffee)
What is the French indirect object pronoun ‘to him/her/it’?
lui
Je lui donne du café (I give him some coffee)
What is the French indirect object pronoun ‘to us’?
nous
e.g.
Tu nous donnes du café (You give us some coffee)
What is the French indirect object pronoun ‘to you’? (formal)
vous
e.g.
Nous vous donnons du café (We give you some coffee)
What is the French indirect object pronoun ‘to them’?
leur
e.g.
Tu leur donnes du café (You give them some coffee)
What is the French indirect object pronoun ‘en’ used for?
This is used to avoid repeating a noun that is introduced by du, de la, de l’, des
Tu as des chiens? (Have you any dogs)
Oui, j’en ai trois (Yes I, I’ve got three)
What is the French indirect object pronoun ‘y’ used for?
This normally means ‘there’
Tu vas à Paris (Are you going to Paris?)
Oui, j’y vais demain. (I am going there tomorrow)
Which personal pronouns come first in a phrase ?
me, te, se, nous, vous
Je te les donne maintenant
(I am giving them to you now)
Which personal pronouns come second in a phrase ?
le, la, l’, les
Je te les donne maintenant
(I am giving them to you now)
Which personal pronouns come third in a phrase ?
leur, lui
Je les lui donne maintenant
(I am giving them to him now)
Which pronouns come fourth in a phrase ?
y, en
Il nous en a parlé
What is an indefinite pronoun?
An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun that refers to non-specific beings, objects, or places.
What is the French indefinite pronoun ‘someone’?
quel qu’un
Il y a quel qu’un à la maison
(There is someone at the house)
What is the French indefinite pronoun ‘something’?
quelque chose
Vous avez perdu quelque chose?
(Have you lost something)
What is the French indefinite pronoun ‘all’?
tout (masc sing) / toute (fem sing)
tous (masc plural) / toutes (fem plural)
What is the French indefinite pronoun ‘everyone’?
tout le monde
Tout le mond aime le chocolat
(Everybody loves chocolate)
What is the French demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘that’?
cela, often shortened to ça before a vowel.
Cela m’étonne (That surprises me)
Tu aimes ça? (Do you like that)
What 4 demonstrative pronouns mean ‘this one’
celui (masculine singular)
celle (feminine singular)
ceux (masculine plural)
celles (feminine plural)
These pronouns are combined with -ci (here) or -là (there) for emphasis. Celui-ci (this one), celui-là (that one)
What is a relative pronoun?
Relative pronouns are used to link phrases together.
Le copain qui habite à Lyon
(The friend who lives in Lyon)
What is the French relative pronoun ‘who’ (subject)?
qui
n.b Qui is never abreviated to qu’ before a vowel
Le livre qui est sur la chaise
(The book that is on the table)
What is the French relative pronoun ‘who’ (object)?
que
n.b. Que is abreviated to qu’ before a vowel
Le copain que j’ai vu
(The friend that I saw)
What is the French relative pronoun ‘whose’?
dont
J’ai cinq robes dont trois sont rouges
(I’ve got five dresses of which three are red)
What is a possessive pronoun?
A possesive pronoun denotes ownership
What is the French possessive pronoun ‘mine’ ?
- le mien (masculine singular)
- la mienne (feminine singular
- les miens (masculine plural)
- les miennes (feminine plural)
C’est le mien (Its mine)
What is the French possessive pronoun ‘your’ ? (informal)
- le tien (masculine singular)
- la tienne (feminine singular
- les tiens (masculine plural)
- les tiennes (feminine plural)
C’est le tien (Its yours)
What is the French possessive pronoun ‘his/her/its’?
- le sien (masculine singular)
- la sienne (feminine singular
- les siens (masculine plural)
- les siennes (feminine plural)
C’est le sien (Its his/hers)
What is the French possessive pronoun ‘our’?
- le nôtre (masculine singular)
- la nôtre (feminine singular
- les nôtres (masculine plural)
- les nôtres (feminine plural)
C’est le nôtres (Its ours)
What is the French possessive pronoun ‘your’? (formal)
- le vôtre (masculine singular)
- la vôtre (feminine singular
- les vôtres (masculine plural)
- les vôtres (feminine plural)
C’est le vôtres (Its yours)
What is the French possessive pronoun ‘their’?
- le leur (masculine singular)
- la leur (feminine singular
- les leurs (masculine plural)
- les leurs (feminine plural)
C’est le leur (Its theirs)
What are emphatic pronouns used for?
For emphasis - Moi, j’adore les frises (I love strawberries)
After a preposition - Avec moi (With me)
After a comparative - Elle est plus sympa que toi (She is nicer than you)
With à, to express possession - Il est à toi, ce CD (Does this CD belong to you?)
What is the French emphatic pronoun ‘me’?
moi
avec moi (with me)
What is the French emphatic pronoun ‘you’? (informal)
toi
pour toi (for you)
What is the French emphatic pronoun ‘he’?
lui
chez lui (at his house)
What is the French emphatic pronoun ‘her’?
elle
à côté d’elle (next to her)
What is the French emphatic pronoun ‘us’?
nous
avec nous (with us)
What is the French emphatic pronoun ‘you’? (formal)
vous
pour vous (for you)
What is the French emphatic pronoun ‘them’ (m)?
eux
chez eux (at their house)
What is the French emphatic pronoun ‘them’ (f)?
elles
à côté d’elles (next to them)
