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Follow French pronouns through a paragraph: who does what?

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Read a short French handover, trace la, lui, celui and cela, then untangle an ambiguous elle. Includes a reference map and five reading questions.

In short

Track the role as well as the form: elle may be a person or a feminine object, lui is an indirect object, and cela can refer to a whole event. Possessives agree with the thing possessed: son dossier can be a woman’s file.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

A woman hands a plain open box of closed red and navy folders to a man beside a table in a French office, no exposed writing or labels.
The handover keeps la boîte and its documents in view. Illustration: Atelier

Read once, then follow the references

Une passation rapide

Nora apporte une boîte de documents à Samir. Il la pose sur la table, puis Nora la lui ouvre1. Les documents sont classés par date. Ils doivent rester dans cet ordre.

Samir cherche le dossier de Lina. Il le compare à celui de Nora2. La couverture du dossier de Lina est rouge ; sa couleur permet de le retrouver rapidement.

Nora annonce que la réunion commencera une heure plus tôt. Cela3 oblige Samir à prévenir Lina. Il lui envoie aussitôt un message.

Read it in English

Nora brings Samir a box of documents. He puts it on the table, then Nora opens it for him. The documents are sorted by date. They must stay in that order.

Samir looks for Lina’s file. He compares it with Nora’s. The cover of Lina’s file is red; its colour makes the file easy to find quickly.

Nora announces that the meeting will start an hour earlier. That means Samir has to tell Lina. He sends her a message straight away.

A reference map for the handover
FormReferenceClue
Il la poseSamir ; la boîteSamir places the feminine singular box.
Ils doivent resterles documentsMasculine plural; the box is singular.
celui de Norale dossier de NoraMasculine singular celui replaces dossier.
sa couleurla couleur de la couvertureSa agrees with feminine couleur.
Cela oblige Samirle changement d’heureA whole announcement can be the reference.

How do you avoid an ambiguous elle in French?

Lina téléphone à Nora. Elle est inquiète.

Lina phones Nora. She is worried.

Both women fit elle. The two sentences alone leave the identity open.

Lina, inquiète, téléphone à Nora.Lina, who is worried, phones Nora.

Focus: Lina is worried

name + adjective

Lina cherche une solution.
Lina is looking for a solution.

Lina téléphone à Nora, qui est inquiète.Lina phones Nora, who is worried.

Focus: Nora is worried

name + qui clause

Nora attend des nouvelles.
Nora is waiting for news.

Gender narrows the choice, but the action and context finish the job. In Il la pose, la is the box because Samir places it on the table. In sa couleur, the feminine form tells you about couleur. The previous sentence supplies the cover whose colour is being described.

Question 1No account needed
In Nora la lui ouvre, what does lui refer to?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Samir.. Samir is the person for whom Nora opens the box. The direct object la is the box.

Question 2No account needed
Which noun is replaced by celui?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

le dossier. Celui is masculine singular and replaces dossier; de Nora identifies whose file.

Question 3No account needed
Why is sa couleur feminine?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Because couleur is feminine.. The possessive agrees with couleur, the thing possessed, rather than with the owner.

Question 4No account needed
What does Cela refer to in the last paragraph?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

The change to the meeting time.. The preceding announcement moves the meeting earlier, creating the need to tell Lina.

Question 5No account needed
Who is worried in Lina téléphone à Nora. Elle est inquiète.?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Either woman fits these sentences.. Both Lina and Nora fit elle. Repeat the name when the identity needs to be clear.

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