Understanding "il" and "elle" in French

In French, "il" and "elle" are words we use to talk about he or she. They help us know if we're talking about a boy or a girl.

• "il" is used for boys or masculine things.
• "elle" is used for girls or feminine things.

Examples:

• "Il est professeur." means "He is a teacher."
• "Elle est étudiante." means "She is a student."

Important Things to Know

a. Present Tense Conjugation

This is how we change verbs to show actions happening now.

• For regular verbs that end in -er, like parler (to speak):

  • Je parle (I speak)
  • Tu parles (You speak)
  • Il/Elle parle (He/She speaks)
  • Nous parlons (We speak)
  • Vous parlez (You all speak)
  • Ils/Elles parlent (They speak)

• For regular verbs that end in -ir, like finir (to finish):

  • Je finis (I finish)
  • Tu finis (You finish)
  • Il/Elle finit (He/She finishes)
  • Nous finissons (We finish)
  • Vous finissez (You all finish)
  • Ils/Elles finissent (They finish)

• For regular verbs that end in -re, like vendre (to sell):

  • Je vends (I sell)
  • Tu vends (You sell)
  • Il/Elle vend (He/She sells)
  • Nous vendons (We sell)
  • Vous vendez (You all sell)
  • Ils/Elles vendent (They sell)

b. Common Irregular Verbs

Some verbs don’t follow the regular rules. Here are a few:

• Avoir (to have): Il/Elle a (He/She has)
• Être (to be): Il/Elle est (He/She is)
• Aller (to go): Il/Elle va (He/She goes)
• Faire (to do): Il/Elle fait (He/She does)

c. How to Make Sentences Negative

To say something is not true, you can add "ne" before the verb and "pas" after it:

• "Il n'est pas professeur." means "He is not a teacher."
• "Elle n'est pas étudiante." means "She is not a student."

d. Adjective Agreement

Adjectives (words that describe nouns) must match the noun in gender and number:

• "Un grand garçon." means "A tall boy."
• "Une grande fille." means "A tall girl."

e. Subject Pronouns

Here is the list of subject pronouns you need to know:

• Je (I)
• Tu (You)
• Il (He)
• Elle (She)
• Nous (We)
• Vous (You all/formal)
• Ils (They, masculine)
• Elles (They, feminine)

By learning these rules and differences, you can use "il" and "elle" correctly in your conversations!