French Pronouns Chart
French has five sets of personal pronouns: subject (je), stressed (moi), direct object (me, le, la), indirect object (me, lui, leur) and reflexive (me, se), plus y and en. Object pronouns go before the conjugated verb, in a fixed order: me/te/se/nous/vous, then le/la/les, then lui/leur, then y, then en. In the affirmative imperative they move after the verb.
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In the TEF / TCF Canada exam
In TEF and TCF writing and speaking, replace repeated nouns with le, lui, y and en. It makes your French flow.
French Pronouns Chart: the full chart as text
Personal pronouns at a glance
| Subject | Stressed | Direct (COD) | Indirect (COI) | Reflexive | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | moi | me (m') | me (m') | me (m') | I / me |
| tu | toi | te (t') | te (t') | te (t') | you (informal) |
| il | lui | le (l') | lui | se (s') | he, it / him |
| elle | elle | la (l') | lui | se (s') | she, it / her |
| nous | nous | nous | nous | nous | we / us |
| vous | vous | vous | vous | vous | you (formal, plural) |
| ils | eux | les | leur | se (s') | they / them (m.) |
| elles | elles | les | leur | se (s') | they / them (f.) |
Me, te, le, la and se become m', t', l' and s' before a vowel or a silent h.
Order before the verb
| Slot | Pronouns |
|---|---|
| 1 | me te se nous vous |
| 2 | le la les |
| 3 | lui leur |
| 4 | y |
| 5 | en |
Il me le prête. Je le lui ai dit. Il y en a trois.
COD or COI?
Verb + person with no preposition: le, la, les. Verb + à + person: lui, leur. Check the verb: aider quelqu'un, but parler à quelqu'un.
- J'aide ma sœur. → Je l'aide.I help my sister. → I help her.
- Je parle à mes parents. → Je leur parle.I talk to my parents. → I talk to them.
- Il téléphone à Paul. → Il lui téléphone.He calls Paul. → He calls him.
Y and en
Y replaces à + a thing or a place. En replaces de + a noun, or a noun after a number or quantity (keep the number).
- Je vais à Toronto. → J'y vais.I'm going to Toronto. → I'm going there.
- Tu penses à l'examen? → Oui, j'y pense.Are you thinking about the exam? Yes.
- Il a trois livres. → Il en a trois.He has three books. → He has three (of them).
Stressed pronouns: moi, toi, lui, eux
Use them after a preposition, after c'est, alone, or to add emphasis.
- Ce cadeau est pour toi.This present is for you.
- Moi, je préfère le TEF.Me, I prefer the TEF.
- C'est lui qui a réussi.He's the one who passed.
Compound tenses and two verbs
The pronoun goes before the auxiliary. With avoir, the past participle agrees with a COD placed before it, never with a COI.
- Ces lettres? Je les ai écrites.These letters? I wrote them.
- Je lui ai parlé hier.I spoke to him yesterday.
- Je vais le faire demain.I'm going to do it tomorrow.
Imperative order
Affirmative: pronouns go after the verb, with hyphens: verb → le/la/les → moi/toi/lui/nous/vous/leur → y → en. Negative: normal order.
- Donne-le-moi.Give it to me.
- Ne me le donne pas.Don't give it to me.
- Parle-lui. Vas-y.Talk to him. Go ahead.
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Questions
Before the verb: me, te, se, nous, vous come first, then le, la, les, then lui, leur, then y, then en. For example: Il me le donne. Je le lui ai dit. Il y en a trois.
Look at the verb. If it takes a person directly (aider quelqu'un, voir quelqu'un), use le, la or les. If it takes à + person (parler à, téléphoner à, demander à), use lui or leur.
Y replaces à + a thing or a place: J'y vais (I'm going there). En replaces de + a noun or a quantity: J'en ai deux (I have two of them). For à + a person, use lui or leur, not y.
