Understanding Subject Pronouns in French

Learning about subject pronouns is an important step in getting better at French.

Subject pronouns help us know who is doing something in a sentence.

Here’s a list of French subject pronouns:

• je (I)
• tu (you - informal)
• il (he)
• elle (she)
• on (one/we)
• nous (we)
• vous (you - formal/plural)
• ils (they - masculine or mixed group)
• elles (they - feminine)

How to Use Subject Pronouns in Sentences

Let’s see how these pronouns fit into sentences:

1. Je parle français. (I speak French.)
2. Tu aimes les livres. (You like books.)
3. Il mange une pomme. (He eats an apple.)
4. Elle danse bien. (She dances well.)
5. Nous faisons du sport. (We play sports.)
6. Vous regardez la télévision. (You watch television.)
7. Ils jouent au foot. (They play soccer. - masculine/mixed group)
8. Elles étudient le français. (They study French. - feminine group)

How to Conjugate Regular -ER Verbs

Regular -ER verbs are changed in the present tense by taking off the -ER ending and adding new endings:

• parler (to speak)
  • je parle
  • tu parles
  • il/elle/on parle
  • nous parlons
  • vous parlez
  • ils/elles parlent

Understanding Articles

Articles tell us more about nouns in French:

• Definite Articles: le (masculine), la (feminine), l' (for words starting with a vowel), les (plural)
• Indefinite Articles: un (masculine), une (feminine), des (plural)

Here are some examples:

• Le chien (the dog)
• Une fille (a girl)

Making Negative Sentences

To say “no” in French, use "ne... pas":

• Je ne sais pas. (I do not know.)
• Tu ne veux pas de chocolat. (You do not want chocolate.)

Using Basic Adjectives

Adjectives must match the nouns they describe. They change based on gender and number:

• grand (big) / grande (big - feminine)
• petits (small - masculine plural) / petites (small - feminine plural)

Examples:

• Une grande maison (a big house)
• Des petits chats (small cats)

Practice Time!

Try making sentences using subject pronouns, regular -ER verbs, articles, and basic adjectives. For example:

Je suis un grand garçon. (I am a big boy.)

Using these parts, you can create different and complete sentences in French!