French Pronouns Simplified: Je, On, Le, Lui, Y and En

A friendly overview of French subject, object and adverbial pronouns, where they go in the sentence, and why 'on' is so common in speech.

Pronouns replace nouns, and French has plenty. But they follow a clear logic, and a small core set will carry you a long way.

Subject pronouns

je (j' before a vowel) — I
tu — you (informal, one person)
il / elle — he / she (also "it" for masculine / feminine nouns)
on — one, we, people, they (very common in speech)
nous — we
vous — you (formal or plural)
ils / elles — they (masculine or mixed / feminine)

On deserves a special note. In casual French, on replaces nous: On va au cinéma. = We're going to the cinema. It takes the il form of the verb. It can also mean "people in general": En France, on mange tard.

Direct object pronouns

These replace a noun that is the direct object:

me / m' — me
te / t' — you
le / l' — him, it (masculine)
la / l' — her, it (feminine)
nous — us
vous — you
les — them

Je vois Marie. → Je la vois. Il mange le pain. → Il le mange. Nous connaissons ces gens. → Nous les connaissons.

Indirect object pronouns

These replace à + a person:

me / m', te / t'
lui — to him, to her
nous, vous
leur — to them

Je parle à Marie. → Je lui parle. Il donne un cadeau à ses parents. → Il leur donne un cadeau.

Word order

In French, object pronouns go before the verb:

Je le vois. — I see him/it.
Elle nous aide. — She helps us.
Il ne me parle pas. — He doesn't speak to me. (ne comes before the pronoun)
Je vais le faire. — I'm going to do it. (before the infinitive)

With the passé composé, the pronoun goes before the auxiliary: Je l'ai vu.

The pronoun y

Y replaces à + thing, or a place (there):

Tu vas à Paris ? — Oui, j'y vais. — Yes, I'm going there.
Je pense à mon travail. → J'y pense.
Allons-y ! — Let's go!

The pronoun en

En replaces de + thing, or a quantity (some, of it, of them):

Tu veux du café ? — Oui, j'en veux. — Yes, I want some.
Il parle de son voyage. → Il en parle.
J'ai trois frères. → J'en ai trois.
Il y en a. — There are some.

Note: en is often needed in French where English drops the noun: Combien de frères as-tu ? — J'en ai deux.

Stressed pronouns

Used after prepositions, for emphasis or alone:

moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles

C'est moi. — It's me.
Avec toi. — With you.
Moi, je préfère le thé. — I prefer tea.
Chez nous. — At our place.

Order with two pronouns

When two pronouns appear, the order is: me/te/nous/vous → le/la/les → lui/leur → y → en.

Il me le donne. — He gives it to me. Je le lui dis. — I tell it to him. Il y en a.

Common mistakes

Putting object pronouns after the verb (English order).
Using le for a person's indirect object instead of lui.
Forgetting en with quantities.
Mixing up y and en.

Dictionary tip

A dictionary entry for a verb shows whether it takes a direct object or à + person, which tells you which pronoun to use.

Practice

Write ten sentences with nouns, then replace the nouns with pronouns.

Look up French verbs and constructions with English French Dictionary →