Pronouns
Updated 22 Apr 2026
Pronouns replace or refer to nouns , avoiding repetition. Unlike determinants , which accompany a noun, pronouns stand in for one entirely.
Subject
Subject pronouns indicate who is performing the action of the verb:
- je - I
- tu - you (informal singular)
- il / elle / on - he / she / one
- nous - we
- vous - you (formal singular, or plural)
- ils / elles - they (masculine or mixed / feminine)
Note: tu is used with friends, family, children, and peers. Vous is used with strangers, authority figures, or anyone you’d address formally - as well as when addressing more than one person. When in doubt, use vous .
On is a third-person singular pronoun that can mean one (formally) or function as an informal substitute for nous : On y va? (Shall we go?).
Tonic
Tonic pronouns (also called disjunctive or emphatic pronouns) are a separate set used when a pronoun is stressed, isolated, or follows a preposition:
- moi - me / I
- toi - you
- lui / elle - him / her
- nous - us / we
- vous - you
- eux / elles - them (masculine or mixed / feminine)
They are used:
- After prepositions: C’est pour toi . - It’s for you. / Il vient avec nous .
- In comparisons: Elle est plus grande que moi .
- For emphasis: Moi, je n’aime pas ça. - Me, I don’t like that.
- Standalone (without a verb): Qui a dit ça? - Lui . - Who said that? - Him.
- With c’est / ce sont : C’est moi . / Ce sont eux .
Object
Direct
Direct object pronouns replace a noun that is the direct object of the verb (no preposition between verb and noun):
- me - me
- te - you
- le / la - him / her / it
- nous - us
- vous - you
- les - them
Je vois Paul → Je le vois.
I see Paul → I see him.
Indirect
Indirect object pronouns replace à + person :
- me - to me
- te - to you
- lui - to him / to her
- nous - to us
- vous - to you
- leur - to them
Je parle à Marie → Je lui parle.
I talk to Marie → I talk to her.
Note: indirect object pronouns are only used for people . For things and ideas introduced by à , use the adverbial pronoun y .
Reflexive
Reflexive pronouns are used with reflexive verbs - verbs where the subject acts on itself:
- me - myself
- te - yourself
- se - himself / herself / itself / themselves
- nous - ourselves
- vous - yourselves / yourself (formal)
Il se lave. - He washes himself.
Se covers both the singular and plural third person. In compound tenses, reflexive verbs always take être as the auxiliary.
Adverbial
The adverbial pronouns y and en replace prepositional phrases. They always come before the conjugated verb.
y
y primarily replaces:
- à + place - Je vais à Paris → J’ y vais. - I’m going to Paris → I’m going there.
- à + thing or idea (indirect complement) - Je pense à ce problème → J’ y pense. - I’m thinking about this problem → I’m thinking about it.
Note: y replaces à + thing , but not à + person . For people, use an indirect object pronoun instead: Je pense à lui. (not J’y pense. )
It can also replace other locative phrases ( dans, sur, en + place ): Elle est dans la chambre → Elle y est.
en
en replaces:
- de + place - Il vient de France → Il en vient. - He comes from France → He comes from there.
- Partitive or indefinite noun - Je veux du café → J’ en veux. - I want some coffee → I want some.
- de + noun , especially with quantities - J’ai trois chats → J’ en ai trois. - I have three cats → I have three (of them).
Placement and stacking
Object pronouns come before the conjugated verb in most tenses. In compound tenses, they go before the auxiliary:
- Je le vois. / Je l’ ai vu.
When multiple object pronouns are stacked together, they follow a fixed order:
TODO: Add a diagram showing the stacking order ( me/te/se/nous/vous → le/la/les → lui/leur → y → en ).
Possessive
Possessive pronouns replace a noun that belongs to someone. Unlike possessive determinants , which accompany a noun ( mon chat ), possessive pronouns stand alone ( le mien ).
They agree in gender and number with the noun being replaced (i.e. the thing possessed, not the possessor):
| Masc. sg. | Fem. sg. | Masc. pl. | Fem. pl. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mine | le mien | la mienne | les miens | les miennes |
| yours (sg.) | le tien | la tienne | les tiens | les tiennes |
| his / hers | le sien | la sienne | les siens | les siennes |
| ours | le nôtre | la nôtre | les nôtres | les nôtres |
| yours (pl.) | le vôtre | la vôtre | les vôtres | les vôtres |
| theirs | le leur | la leur | les leurs | les leurs |
C’est ton chat? - Oui, c’est le mien . - Is that your cat? - Yes, it’s mine.
Demonstrative
Demonstrative pronouns replace a noun that has been pointed out. They agree in gender and number with the noun they replace:
- celui - masculine singular - this one / that one
- celle - feminine singular
- ceux - masculine plural - these / those
- celles - feminine plural
Unlike demonstrative determinants ( ce/cet/cette/ces ), which accompany a noun, demonstrative pronouns stand alone and are typically followed by one of:
- -ci / -là (proximity suffix): celui-ci (this one here) / celui-là (that one there)
- A relative clause : Celui qui parle fort… - The one who speaks loudly…
- de + noun : les livres de Marie et ceux de Paul - Marie’s books and Paul’s.
Relative
Relative pronouns introduce a relative clause that gives more information about a noun. The choice depends on the pronoun’s grammatical role within the clause.
qui
Used as the subject of the relative clause. Refers to both people and things:
C’est l’homme qui parle. - That’s the man who is speaking. Le livre qui est sur la table… - The book that is on the table…
que
Used as the direct object of the relative clause. The verb in the clause has its own subject:
L’homme que je vois… - The man (whom) I see… Le film que nous avons regardé… - The film (that) we watched…
Note: unlike English, que cannot be dropped. It also elides to qu’ before a vowel.
dont
Replaces de + noun . Covers a range of meanings:
- Possession / whose: L’homme dont je connais la femme… - The man whose wife I know…
- About / of which: Le sujet dont on parle… - The subject we’re talking about…
- From which: La famille dont il vient… - The family he comes from…
où
Replaces a noun of place or time :
- La ville où j’habite. - The city where I live.
- Le jour où il est arrivé. - The day (when) he arrived.
le·la·quel·le·s
Used after a preposition when the antecedent is a thing (not a person):
- La table sur laquelle j’ai posé le livre… - The table on which I put the book…
- Les raisons pour lesquelles il est parti… - The reasons for which he left…
When the antecedent is a person , qui is preferred after a preposition:
La personne à qui je parle… - The person to whom I’m speaking…
À and de contract with lequel :
- auquel, à laquelle, auxquels, auxquelles
- duquel, de laquelle, desquels, desquelles
Interrogative
Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. The choice depends on whether you’re asking about a person or a thing.
See also: Interrogative Determinants .
Asking about people
- qui - who / whom (subject or object)
- qui est-ce qui - who (subject, emphatic)
- qui est-ce que - whom (object, emphatic)
Qui parle? / Qui est-ce qui parle? - Who is speaking? Tu vois qui? / Qui est-ce que tu vois? - Who do you see?
Asking about things
- que / qu’ - what (object)
- quoi - what (after a preposition, or standalone)
- qu’est-ce qui - what (subject)
- qu’est-ce que - what (object, emphatic)
Que fais-tu? / Qu’est-ce que tu fais? - What are you doing? À quoi tu penses? - What are you thinking about? Qu’est-ce qui se passe? - What is happening?
Asking which one
Lequel / laquelle / lesquels / lesquelles - which one(s)? Agrees with the noun it replaces:
Il y a deux chemins. Lequel prends-tu? - There are two paths. Which one are you taking?