French pronouns are essential tools for building fluency. They replace nouns, simplify sentences, and make your French sound natural and native-like.
Unlike English, French has 12 types of pronouns, each with specific uses and grammar rules. Mastering them is key to speaking and writing confidently.
This guide explains each French pronoun type with examples to help you practice effectively.
1. Subject Pronouns (Les pronoms sujets)
Subject pronouns show who is doing the action and always come before the verb. In French, they reflect gender (il/elle), formality (tu/vous), and sometimes replace nous with the more common spoken on.
| French | English | Example Sentence | Translation |
| Je | I | Je parle français. | I speak French. |
| Tu | You (informal) | Tu travailles beaucoup. | You work a lot. |
| Il / Elle | He / She | Il chante bien. /Elle danse bien. | He sings well. / She dances well. |
| On | One / We (informal) | On va au cinéma. | We’re going to the cinema. |
| Nous | We | Nous habitons à Lyon. | We live in Lyon. |
| Vous | You (formal/plural) | Vous êtes prêts. | You are ready. |
| Ils / Elles | They (masc/fem) | Ils mangent vite. /Elles parlent vite. | They eat fast. / They speak fast. |
Tip: In everyday French, “on” often replaces “nous” in spoken language.
2. Stress Pronouns (Pronoms Toniques)
Stress pronouns are used for emphasis, after prepositions, or in comparisons. They highlight the subject more strongly.
| Subject | Stress Pronoun | Example | Translation |
| Je | Moi | C’est moi ! | It’s me! |
| Tu | Toi | Avec toi, tout est possible. | With you, everything is possible. |
| Il | Lui | Je pense à lui. | I think of him. |
| Elle | Elle | Je parle avec elle. | I speak with her. |
| Nous | Nous | Nous aussi, nous venons. | Us too, we’re coming. |
| Vous | Vous | C’est pour vous. | It’s for you. |
| Ils | Eux | Je sors avec eux. | I go out with them (m). |
| Elles | Elles | Je travaille avec elles. | I work with them (f). |
Example dialogue:
- Qui a fait ce gâteau ? (Who made this cake?)
- Moi ! (Me!)
3. Direct Object Pronouns (COD – Complément d’Objet Direct)
Direct object pronouns replace the noun directly affected by the verb and always come before it.
| French | English | Example | Translation |
| Me / M’ | Me | Elle m’aime. | She loves me. |
| Te / T’ | You | Je t’entends. | I hear you. |
| Le / La / L’ | Him / Her / It | Je le connais. | I know him/it. |
| Nous | Us | Ils nous invitent. | They invite us. |
| Vous | You | Je vous comprends. | I understand you. |
| Les | Them | Je les vois. | I see them. |
Word order: In French, the pronoun always comes before the verb.
4. Indirect Object Pronouns (COI – Complément d’Objet Indirect)
Indirect object pronouns replace people introduced by à (to) and usually indicate to whom something is given or said.
| French | English | Example | Translation |
| Me / M’ | To me | Il me parle. | He speaks to me. |
| Te / T’ | To you | Je t’écris. | I write to you. |
| Lui | To him/her | Je lui téléphone. | I call him/her. |
| Nous | To us | Elle nous explique la leçon. | She explains the lesson to us. |
| Vous | To you | Je vous envoie un message. | I sent you a message. |
| Leur | To them | Je leur donne le livre. | I give them the book. |
5. Reflexive Pronouns (Pronoms réfléchis)
Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject performs the action on itself, always with reflexive verbs.
| Subject | Reflexive Pronoun | Example | Translation |
| Je | Me / M’ | Je me lave. | I wash myself. |
| Tu | Te / T’ | Tu te réveilles tôt. | You wake up early. |
| Il/Elle/On | Se / S’ | Il se lève à 7h. | He gets up at 7. |
| Nous | Nous | Nous nous promenons. | We go for a walk. |
| Vous | Vous | Vous vous souvenez ? | Do you remember? |
| Ils/Elles | Se / S’ | Ils se dépêchent. | They hurry. |
6. Relative Pronouns (Pronoms relatifs)
Relative pronouns link two clauses together and help avoid repetition in a sentence.
- Qui → subject → La femme qui parle est ma prof. (The woman who is speaking is my teacher.)
- Que → object → Le livre que je lis est intéressant. (The book that I am reading is interesting.)
- Où → place/time → C’est la ville où je suis né. (That’s the city where I was born.)
- Dont → of which/whose → Un ami dont je parle souvent. (A friend I often talk about.)
- Lequel/Laquelle/Lesquels/Lesquelles → which → La maison dans laquelle je vis est grande. (The house in which I live is big.)
7. Interrogative Pronouns (Pronoms interrogatifs)
Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions like who, what, and which.
- Qui – Who? → Qui est là ? (Who is there?)
- Que / Quoi – What? → Que veux-tu ? (What do you want?)
- Lequel / Laquelle – Which one? → Lequel préfères-tu ? (Which one do you prefer?)
8. Indefinite Pronouns (Pronoms indéfinis)
Indefinite pronouns refer to people or things in a general, vague, or unspecified way.
- Quelqu’un – someone → Quelqu’un a frappé. (Someone knocked.)
- Chacun – each → Chacun a son opinion. (Each has their opinion.)
- Tout – everything → Tout va bien. (Everything is fine.)
- Rien – nothing → Je ne vois rien. (I see nothing.)
9. Possessive Pronouns (Pronoms possessifs)
Possessive pronouns replace nouns to show ownership and must agree in gender and number with the object owned.
| English | Masculine | Feminine | Plural (M) | Plural (F) | Example | Translation |
| Mine | Le mien | La mienne | Les miens | Les miennes | C’est la mienne. | It’s mine. |
| Yours | Le tien | La tienne | Les tiens | Les tiennes | Le tien est bleu. | Yours is blue. |
| His/Hers | Le sien | La sienne | Les siens | Les siennes | Les siens sont rouges. | His are red. |
| Ours | Le nôtre | La nôtre | Les nôtres | Les nôtres | La nôtre est petite. | Ours is small. |
| Yours | Le vôtre | La vôtre | Les vôtres | Les vôtres | Le vôtre est grand. | Yours is big. |
| Theirs | Le leur | La leur | Les leurs | Les leurs | La leur est belle. | Theirs is beautiful. |
10. Demonstrative Pronouns (Pronoms démonstratifs)
Demonstrative pronouns are used to point to or highlight specific people or objects.
- Celui (masc sg) – this one/that one → Celui est meilleur. (That one is better.)
- Celle (fem sg) – this one/that one → Je préfère celle-ci. (I prefer this one.)
- Ceux (masc pl) – these/those → Ceux-là sont grands. (Those ones are tall.)
- Celles (fem pl) – these/those → Celles-ci sont jolies. (These ones are pretty.)
11. The Pronoun En
The pronoun en replaces de + noun, often to express quantity, origin, or part of something.
- Tu veux du pain ? J’en veux. (Do you want bread? I want some.)
- Elle parle de son frère. Elle en parle. (She talks about her brother. She talks about him.)
- J’ai trois stylos. J’en ai trois. (I have three pens. I have three of them.)
Also Read: How to use the French pronoun “en”.
12. The Pronoun Y
The pronoun y replaces à + noun (usually things or places) and often translates to “there” or “about it.”
- Tu penses à ton avenir ? Oui, j’y pense. (Do you think about your future? Yes, I think about it.)
- Nous allons à Paris. Nous y allons demain. (We’re going to Paris. We’re going there tomorrow.)
Common Errors to Avoid
- Translating directly from English (I see him → not Je vois lui, but Je le vois).
- Forgetting gender/number agreement in possessive pronouns.
- Mixing up en and y.
- en = replaces de + noun
- y = replaces à + noun/place
Conclusion
French pronouns may seem complex at first, but mastering them will dramatically improve your fluency and help you speak more like a native. By practising each type with real examples, you’ll quickly gain confidence in using them naturally.
And if you’d like to speed up the process with guided lessons and real conversation practice, our online French lessons are the perfect next step to put pronouns into action and start speaking with ease.