Verb drill
French subject pronouns: je, tu, il and the right verb
Pair French subject pronouns with être, distinguish tu from vous and practise il, elle, ils and elles in short sentences with clear references.
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In short
French subject pronouns go with the verb: je suis (I am), tu es (you are), elle est (she is). Choose the person first, then the matching verb form. Vous addresses several people or one person formally; on often means “we” in conversation but takes a singular verb.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
| Pronoun | Meaning | With être |
|---|---|---|
| je | I | je suis |
| tu | you: one person, familiar | tu es |
| il | he / it: masculine singular | il est |
| elle | she / it: feminine singular | elle est |
| on | we in conversation; people in general | on est |
| nous | we | nous sommes |
| vous | you: plural or formal singular | vous êtes |
| ils | they: masculine or mixed group | ils sont |
| elles | they: feminine group | elles sont |
Who is speaking, and to whom?
- Léa
Je suis Léa. Tu es nouveau ici ?
I’m Léa. Are you new here?
- Adam
Oui, je suis Adam.
Yes, I’m Adam.
- Professeure
Léa et Adam, vous êtes prêts ?
Léa and Adam, are you ready?
- Léa
Oui, on est prêts.
Yes, we’re ready.
Léa uses tu to address Adam alone. The teacher uses vous for both learners together. In the last line, on means Léa and Adam, but the verb is still est. Prêts describes the two people, so it is plural.
Il or elle for a thing in French?
La leçon est courte. Elle est facile.
The lesson is short. It is easy.
Leçon is feminine singular, so “it” is elle.
Les exercices sont courts. Ils sont faciles.
The exercises are short. They are easy.
Exercices is masculine plural, so “they” is ils.
With people, elle and elles refer to a woman or an all-female group; il and ils refer to a man or an all-male group, and ils also covers mixed groups in standard agreement. With things, follow grammatical gender and number.
Type the pronoun or verb
1 · Six forms of être
- je
- tu
- il / elle / on
- nous
- vous
- ils / elles
2 · Choose who the sentence refers to
- Léa est française. habite à Lyon. (replace Léa)
- Hugo et Marc sont belges. habitent à Lille. (replace Hugo et Marc)
- Léa et Inès sont ici. sont prêtes. (replace Léa et Inès)
- êtes prêts, Léa et Adam ? (address both people)
- On ici. (être, with on)
- Nous en retard. (être, with nous)
When does je become j’?
J’habite à Lyon. Tu habites à Lille.
I live in Lyon. You live in Lille.
Write j’habite, with an apostrophe. Standard written tu stays tu before a vowel.