The French subject pronouns are listed below.
| *SINGULAR | *PLURAL | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st-person | je – I | nous – we |
| 2nd-person | tu – you (familiar) | vous – you (formal), you (plural) |
| 3rd-person | il – he elle – she on – one, we, they, people | ils – they elles – they (any group consisting of all females) |
Special Notes
1. Unlike English, there are two different ways to express “you” in French. “Vous” will be used in formal situations, such as when speaking to elders, your boss, authority figures, etc. “Tu” will be used when speaking to your family members, friends, and children. If you are in doubt about which to use, just begin with “vous” and if you notice the other person begins with or switches to “tu”, you can switch as well. You will notice that the “tu” form is more commonly used in Québec than in France.
2. The subject pronoun “on” is very commonly used in informal speech to mean “we”.
3. The subject pronoun “je” will become j’ before verbs that begin with a vowel.
4. The subject pronoun “tu” will sometimes be reduced to t’ before a vowel sound in informal speech.
Example Sentences
Je chante une chanson. I sing a song.
Tu chantes une chanson. You sing a song.
Il chante une chanson. He sings a song.
Elle chante une chanson. She sings a song.
On chante une chanson. We sing a song. (*informal usage) / People sing a song.
Nous chantons une chanson. We sing a song.
Vous chantez une chanson. You sing a song.
Ils chantent une chanson. They sing a song.
Elles chantent une chanson. They sing a song. (*meaning a group of all females)