The eight forms
Subject pronouns and stressed forms
| Person | Subject pronoun | Stressed pronoun |
|---|---|---|
| I | je | moi |
| you (sg.) | tu | toi |
| he | il | lui |
| she | elle | elle |
| we | nous | nous |
| you (pl. / formal) | vous | vous |
| they (m.) | ils | eux |
| they (f.) | elles | elles |
Only moi, toi, lui, eux are new. elle, nous, vous, elles look like the subject pronouns.
After prepositions
After avec, pour, chez, sans, de, à côté de … comes the stressed form, never a subject pronoun. chez + pronoun means “at / to someone's place”.
Tu viens chez moi ?
Are you coming to my place?
Il travaille avec nous.
He works with us.
Ce cadeau est pour lui.
This gift is for him.
For emphasis
English stresses a pronoun with the voice (“I make the coffee”). French puts the stressed form at the start of the sentence. The subject pronoun stays too, usually after a comma.
Moi, je préfère le café.
I prefer coffee. (as for me)
Toi, tu es toujours en retard !
You are always late!
Eux, ils habitent à Paris.
They live in Paris. (as for them)
On their own and after c'est
In short answers without a verb the stressed form stands alone, also in moi aussi (me too). To identify someone, it follows c'est or ce sont.
A
Qui veut du gâteau ?
Who wants cake?
B
Moi !
Me!
A
J'adore le chocolat.
I love chocolate.
B
Moi aussi.
Me too.
Allô ? – Oui, c'est moi !
Hello? – Yes, it's me!
Ce sont eux.
It's them.
