Grammar: Pronouns - Personal and Reflexive

Grammar: Pronouns - Personal and Reflexive

Section: Personal Pronouns

• Personal pronouns in French replace previously mentioned nouns to avoid repetition.

• The ones to revise include je (I), tu (you - singular), il/elle (he/she), nous (we), vous (you - formal or plural), ils/elles (they - masculine/feminine).

• These pronouns change depending on where they appear in relation to the verb. For example, “Me, I am a student” is “Moi, je suis étudiant” in French.

• The pronouns je, tu, il, elle become me, te, le, la respectively when used before a verb, as in “he sees me” which translates to “il me voit”.

Section: Reflexive Pronouns

• Reflexive pronouns are used with reflexive verbs where the action is carried out by the subject and received by the subject.

• For example, in “I wash myself,” both the verb ‘wash’ and pronoun ‘myself’ refer back to the subject. In French it is translated as “Je me lave”.

• The reflexive pronouns to revise include me (myself), te (yourself - singular), se (himself/herself/itself), nous (ourselves), vous (yourself - formal or plural/yourselves), and se (themselves).

• Remember, much like other pronouns, reflexive pronouns must agree in gender and number with the subject they are related to. For example, ‘They wash themselves’ is translated as “Ils se lavent”.

• It is also worth noting the reflexive pronouns come before the verb in French. For example, ‘I wake up’ is translated as “Je me réveille”.

Note

• Personal and reflexive pronouns are essential to form more complex sentences in French without sounding repetitive. Practise using them in different contexts and structures to gain confidence using them.