ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

French personal pronouns

Okay kiddo, today I am going to explain to you French personal pronouns. You know the words "I", "you" and "he/she" that we use to talk about ourselves and others, right? Well, in French, these words are called "pronouns" and they work a little differently than in English.

Let's start with the pronouns for "I". In French, "I" can be either "je" or "moi". "Je" is used as the subject of the sentence just like how "I" is used in English. "Moi" is used when we want to emphasize ourselves in a sentence, but it's not used as much as "je".

Now let's talk about the pronouns for "you". In French, there are two different ways to say "you". "Tu" is used when you're talking to a friend, family member or someone you know well. "Vous" is more formal and respectful, used when you're talking to someone older, a stranger or a group of people.

For "he/she", it's a little more complicated. In French, we have different versions depending on if the person is masculine or feminine. For a boy or man, we use "il" and for a girl or woman, we use "elle". However, if we are talking about a group of people that includes boys/men and girls/women, we use "ils".

Lastly, we have the pronoun for "we", which is "nous". This is used when you're talking about yourself and others together in a group.

So kiddo, these are the French personal pronouns: je/moi (I), tu (you), vous (you), il/elle (he/she), ils/elles (they) and nous (we). Remember to use the right pronoun depending on who you're talking to and who you're talking about. Voilà, maintenant tu connais tout sur les pronoms personnels en français!
Related topics others have asked about: