Quick Study: Pronouns

Question 1

List the subject pronouns.

Answer 1

• je (j’)*
• tu*
• il/elle/on*
• nous*
• vous*
• ils/elles*

Question 2

List the disjunctive/stressed pronouns.

Answer 2

• moi*
• toi*
• lui/elle*
• nous*
• vous*
• eux/elles*

Question 3

What are the five situations in which disjunctive (stressed) pronouns are used?

Answer 3

1. After a preposition: pour moi (for me), avec lui (with him), après elle (after her).
2. In comparisons after que: Ma soeur est plus jeune que moi (My sister is younger than I).
3. To emphasize a subject: Moi, j’habite à Miami (I live in Miami).
4. After c’est or ce sont: C’est moi qui parle Francais (It is I who speaks French).
5. As part of a compound subject: Michèle et lui sortent demain (Michèle and he are going out tomorrow).

Question 4

List the direct object pronouns.

Answer 4

• me (m’)*
• te (t’)*
• le (l’)/la (l’)*
• nous*
• vous*
• les*

Question 5

List the indirect object pronouns.

Answer 5

• me (m’)*
• te (t’)*
• lui*
• nous*
• vous*
• leur*

Question 6

Is a direct or indirect object pronoun placed before or after a conjugated verb?

I eat the apple.

I eat it.

Answer 6

Before.

• Je mange la pomme.*
• Je la mange.*

Question 7

Is a direct or indirect object pronoun placed before or after an infinitive?

He is going to study the lesson.

He is going to study it.

Answer 7

Before the infinitive when it is the object.

• Il va étudier la leçon.*
• Il va l’étudier.*

Question 8

Is a direct object pronoun placed before or after an affirmative command?

Speak to him!

Answer 8

After an infirmative command, linked to it with a hyphen.

Parlez-lui!

Question 9

Is an object pronoun placed before or after a negative command?

Don’t give it to Paul!

Answer 9

Before a negative command.

Ne la donne pas à Paul!

Question 10

What do me and te become when they follow an affirmative command?

Answer 10

Moi and toi.

Question 11

What are the two things that the pronoun y can replace?

Answer 11

A prepositional phrase having the meaning of “at” or “to” a place; it is equivalent to the adverb là.

• Je vais à la bibliothèque.*
• J’y vais.*
• Elle habitent à Avignon.*
• Elles y habitent.*

A phrase consising of à plus a noun, usually after verbs such as réussir à, penser à, répondre à, jouer à

• Il répond à ma lettre.*
• Il y répond.*

Note that it is not used to replace a person, in which case an indirect object pronoun is used.

Question 12

What are the four things that the pronoun en can replace?

Answer 12

1. A noun after the preposition de.
   * Nous arrivons de Madrid.*
   * Nous en arrivons.*
2. A phrase consisting of de plus a noun, usually after verbs such as avoir besoin de, parler de, or avoir envie de.
   * Il a envie d’une limonade.*
   * Il en a envie.*
   * Isabelle a besoin d’argent.*
   * Isabelle en a besoin.*
3. A phrase consisting of an indefinite or a partitive article.
   * Hervé a du chocolat.*
   * Hervé en a.*
4. A phrase with a quantity expression or a number.
   * J’ai quatre livres de philosophie.*
   * J’en ai quatre.*
   * Combien de bouteilles est-ce que vous voulez?*
   * J’en veux cinq.*

Question 13

Where are the pronouns en and y placed in a sentence?

Answer 13

They are placed in a sentence following the placement rules for direct and indirect object pronouns.

Question 14

When en or y follow an affirmative command after a verb ending in -er in the tu person, how does it change the conjugation?

Answer 14

The final -s is not omitted as it would be otherwise.

• Va au laboratoire!*
• Vas-y!*
• Parle de ton voyage!*
• Parles-en!*

Question 15

List the reflexive pronouns.

Answer 15

• me (m’)*
• tu (t’)*
• se (s’)*
• nous*
• vous*
• se (s’)*

Question 16

How are reflexive pronouns used?

Answer 16

Reflexive pronouns are used with pronominal verbs in addition to the subject pronoun and agree with the subject of the verb.

• Je me lave.*
• Il se réveille.*

Question 17

How are reflexive pronouns placed in a sentence?

Answer 17

Their position in relation to the verb is the same as indirect and direct object pronouns.

• Je me demande.*
• Je me suis rappelé.*
• Je vais m’excuser.*

Question 18

List the three singular and three plural demonstrative pronouns.

Answer 18

singular: celui, celle, ce (this one, that one, the one)
plural: ceux, celles, ce (these, those, the ones)

Question 19

What are the three instances in which demonstrative pronouns are used?

Answer 19

1. With the suffix -ci or -là.
   * Je préfère celle-ci et ceux-là.* (I prefer this one and those.)
2. Followed by a clause beginning with a relative pronoun (qui, que, lequel/auquel/duquel, dont, où).
   * Ceux qui étudient beaucoup vont avoir de bonnes notes.*
   * Ce que je vais te dire n’est pas très agréable.*
3. Followed by a prepositional phrase which usually begins with de.
   * Celles de mes étudiantes qui vont en France ont fait leurs devoirs tout de suite.*

Question 20

What are the three indefinite demonstrative pronouns?

Answer 20

• ce*
• ceci*

cela (ça)

Question 21

1. What does the indefinite demonstrative pronoun ce mean (5)?
2. How is it most commonly used?
3. How is it also used?

Answer 21

1. ce - can mean it, this, that, these, or those.
2. It is most commonly used with the verb être, in the expression c’est (plural: ce sont).
   * C’est le moment ou jamais .*
   * C’était dur à croire.*
   * Ce sont mes couleurs préférées.*
3. Ce can also be used with the verbs devoir and pouvoir + être.
   * Ce doit être important.*
   * Ce pourrait être une mauvaise idée.*

Remember that ce is also a demonstrative adjective.

Question 22

1. When do you use the indefinite demonstrative pronouns ceci and cela (ça) rather than using ce?
2. What is another way in which they are used?
3. Which do you use in speech?
4. How do you choose between using ceci vs. cela?

Answer 22

1. When they are followed directly by any verb other than être, or when followed by devoir or pouvoir followed by any verb other than être, the indefinite demonstrative pronoun is ceci, cela, or ca.
   * Ça (ceci) va être difficile à croire.*
   * Ça (cela) me rappelle un film que j’ai vu l’année dernière.*
   * Ça (cela) doit figurer sur le bon de commande.*
   * 2. Ceci,* cela, and ça can also be direct objects and indirect objects.
   * S’il te plaît, mets ça (ceci) sur la table.*
   * J’ai pensé à ça (cela) hier.*
2. Other than in writing and formal speech, ceci (this) and cela (that) are usually replaced by ça.
3. Ceci is replaced by cela unless the distinction between “this” and “that” is important.

Question 23

List the possessive pronouns [mine, yours (sing.), his/hers, ours, yours (sing. & pl.), theirs].

Answer 23

Singular

• le mien/la mienne*
• le tien/la tienne*
• le sien/la sienne*
• le/la nôtre*
• le/la vôtre*
• le/la leur*

Plural

• les miens/miennes*
• les tiens/tiennes*
• les siens/siennes*
• les nôtres*
• les vôtres*
• les leurs*
• Où est la tienne?*
• Mes étudiants sont plus intelligents que les vôtres.*

Question 24

List the relative pronouns (5).

Answer 24

• qui*
• que*
• lequel (auquel/duquel)*
• dont*
• où*

Question 25

1. What can the relative pronouns qui and que be used to refer to?
2. What can qui (3) and que (4) mean?
3. What parts of a sentence can they represent?

Answer 25

1. Qui and que can both be used to refer to persons or things.
   * 2. Qui* could mean who, which, or that. Que could mean who, whom, which, or that.
2. Qui is used for the subject (or indirect object for persons), while que is for the direct object.

Examples:

• Mon frère,* qui a vingt ans, est à l’université.
• *Est-ce qu‘il y a un bus qui va au centre-ville?*
• Les amis que je vois le plus sont Léa et Mehdi.*
• Voilà la maison que nous voulons acheter.*
• la personne à qui il parle*
• les enfants pour qui j’ai acheté des bonbons*
• *Que* is shortened to qu’ if it precedes a word that starts with a vowel or most words that begin with a letter h.

Question 26

1. How is the relative pronoun lequel used?
2. What prepositions does it follow?
3. What can it be used to refer to?
4. What does it need to agree with?
5. How does it change forms depending on agreement?

Answer 26

1. Lequel is the French counterpart for “which” and it is used for indirect objects.
2. It follows the prepositions à, de or pour.
3. It is only used when referring to things (never about people).
4. It has to agree with the noun’s gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural).
5. lequel/laquelle, lesquels/lesquelles

Question 27

1. How do you form à + lequel/laquelle/lesquels/lesquelles?
2. How do you form de + lequel/laquelle/lesquels/lesquelles?

Answer 27

à + lequel = auquel

à + laquelle = à laquelle (remains the same)

à + lesquels = auxquels

à + lesquelles = auxquelles

de + lequel = duquel

de + laquelle = de laquelle (remains the same)

de + lesquels = desquels

de + lesquelles = desquelles

Question 28

1. What does the relative pronoun dont mean?
2. What can it be used to refer to?
3. Does it agree with anything?

Answer 28

1. When translated in English, dont means whose, of whom, of which.
2. It may be used to refer to persons or things.
3. It does not change its form and does not have to agree with anything!

Examples:

• les films* dont tu parles (the films you are talking about)
• la femme dont la voiture est en panne* (the woman whose car has broken down)

Question 29

1. How is the relative pronoun où used?
2. How is it translated?

Answer 29

1. Où is used for places and times.
2. where or when
   * Paris est la ville où on peut manger les meilleurs escargots.* (Paris is the city where we can eat the best snails.)
   * C’est l’année où ils ont gagné la coupe du monde.* (That’s the year when they won the world cup.)