Kilo Lingo
French grammar Part of Chapter 2

CEFR A1

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Test yourself (26 questions)

French Subject Pronouns Chart: je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 11 October 2026

French has nine subject pronouns, one per person, and the table below holds them all. French never drops them, because most verb endings are silent, and in everyday speech stands in for .

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Choose the subject pronoun that matches the verb form.

  1. parles très bien français.

  2. parlons ensemble.

  3. parlez trop vite.

The full table

masculinefemininetuvouswritten not saidil form after onWhat do the colours mean?
PronounEnglishExampleEnglish
I .I'm speaking.
you (one, casual) .You're speaking.
he, it .He's speaking.
she, it .She's speaking.
we, one, people .We're speaking.
we .We're speaking.
you (polite, pl.) .You're speaking.
they (men, mixed) .They're speaking.
they (all women) .They're speaking.

and also mean "it", because every French noun has a gender. The pronoun copies the noun's:

  • ? . - Where's the book? It's here.
  • ? . - Where's the table? It's here.

covers any mixed group, however many women are in it. is only for a group that is entirely female.

  • Paul Marie ? . - Paul and Marie? They're here.
  • Marie Claire ? . - Marie and Claire? They're here.

Why you cannot drop them

Spanish drops subject pronouns because its endings are audible. French cannot, because most of its endings are written but silent:

FrenchEnglishSaid
I speak"parl"
you speak"parl"
he speaks"parl"
they speak"parl"

Four persons, three spellings, one sound, so only the pronoun tells a listener who is speaking. . on its own is an order (speak French!), not a statement.

je becomes j'

Before a vowel or a silent h, loses its e:

je + ai = j'ai (I have)
  • . - I have two brothers.
  • . - I live in .
  • . - I like bread.

This is compulsory in writing as well as speech. is the only one of the nine that elides in standard spelling. does not: you write (you have), even though casual speech says .

tu and vous

is one person you know well. is anyone you should be polite to, and any group at all.

CasualPolite
  1. tu
  2. vous
Speaking to...FrenchEnglish
your brother ?Are you coming?
a friend ?Do you want some bread?
a shopkeeper ?Do you have any bread?
your new manager ?Are you here tomorrow?
two close friends ?Are you coming?
On a lawn, a woman with long hair and a bow, a speech bubble above her, gestures towards three others: a young man of her age waving (a friend); an elderly woman with a white bun, glasses and a walking stick (an older stranger); and a group of three: a man with a moustache, a woman and a little girl.
  2. ?
  3. ?
  4. ?

The friend her age gets tu. The older stranger gets vous, and so does the family group: vous is the only plural you.

The trap for English speakers: is not only formal. Two close friends still get , because it is the only plural "you".

French keeps longer than English speakers expect: colleagues and neighbours can stay for years. Moving to is a small event with its own verb, tutoyer:

  • tutoyer ? - Shall we say ?

to a stranger reads as rude or presumptuous, so is the safe default.

on: the pronoun that ate nous

In spoken French, has largely replaced as the word for "we":

SpokenWritten or formalEnglish
. .We're going to the cinema.
. .We eat here.

means "we" but takes the form of the verb:

  • . - We're ready. (not )
  • . - We've finished. (not )

also keeps its older meaning, "one" or "people in general":

  • . - You never know.
  • France, . - In France, people eat late.

survives in writing, formal speech and for emphasis: , . - We think it's good. The practical rule: understand , say .

When the pronoun stands alone: moi, toi

Subject pronouns are welded to their verb. Standing alone, for emphasis or after a preposition, French uses the stressed pronouns instead:

  • ? ! - Who wants bread? Me!
  • , . - I speak French.
  • , . - You're always late.
  • . - It's him.
  • Paul , . - Paul and I are leaving tomorrow.

English a pronoun with the voice. French cannot stress , so it adds in front: , ..., , ....

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
. .The pronoun is never dropped
? ?Strangers get
. .on takes the form
(mixed group) .One man makes it
. . elides before a vowel
! (alone) !Alone, it is the stressed form

What to do next

  1. Clear the drill below, then say five sentences about your day with .
  2. Default to with anyone you have not been invited to tutoyer.
  3. Next: object pronouns (me, , , ) and the -er verbs whose silent endings this page depends on.

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/5

Choose the subject pronoun that matches the verb form.

  1. parles très bien français.

  2. parlons ensemble.

  3. parlez trop vite.

  4. parle avec le professeur. (he)

  5. parlent anglais.

Complete the story

0/4

tu or vous? Choose what each person calls for.

Léa's day

Le matin, Léa parle à son petit frère : « du pain ? » Au café, elle parle à une femme qu'elle ne connaît pas : « d'ici ? » Le soir, elle voit deux amis : « avec moi ? » Puis elle parle à son chien : « beau, toi ! »

Gap 1 of 4

Spot the mistake

0/4

Tap the mistake.

Sort into groups

0/8

Subject pronoun (always beside its verb) or stressed pronoun (alone, for emphasis, after avec)? Sort each one.

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Fill in the blank

0/5

Fill the gap with the correct subject pronoun. Remember that je becomes j' before a vowel.

  1. habite à Lyon. (I) (elision before a vowel)

  2. suis anglais. (I) (no elision before a consonant)

  3. est médecin. (she) (feminine third person singular)

  4. sont à Paris. (they, all women) (an all-female group)

  5. va au cinéma ce soir. (we, spoken French) (takes a third-person singular verb)

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Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Infographics

  1. Key points infographic
  2. The full table
  3. Why you cannot drop them
  4. tu and vous
  5. on: the pronoun that ate nous
  6. Mistakes English speakers make

Other formats

  1. Listicle

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions

Can you drop subject pronouns in French?
No. Unlike Spanish or Italian, French needs the subject pronoun in front of a conjugated verb. The reason is sound: , and are pronounced identically, so only the pronoun tells from . Apart from a few set phrases in very casual speech ( ), dropping it sounds wrong, not casual.
What is the difference between and ?
is singular and informal. is both the polite singular and the plural, formal or not. Use with friends, family, children and animals; use with strangers, anyone in a professional role, and always for a group. Moving to has its own verb, tutoyer: on tutoyer ? (shall we say ?).
Why does French use on instead of ?
In spoken French, on has largely replaced as the everyday word for we. On is what people say; sounds formal or written. On takes the form of the verb even though it means we. in writing, formal speech and for emphasis.
What is the difference between subject pronouns and stressed pronouns in French?
Subject pronouns (, , ...) only ever go with a verb. Anywhere else you need the stressed pronouns (, , , , , , , ): standing alone (' ? !'), for emphasis (', '), after a preposition (' ') and after (' '). A one-word answer of '' is always wrong.
How do you say 'it' in French?
French uses or , matching the gender of the noun: ' ? ' (it is here), because is masculine; ' table ? ', because table is feminine. For a general idea rather than a noun, French uses or : ' ' (it's good), ' ' (it's fine).