PERSONNAL PRONOUNS - PART 2 / LES PRONOMS PERSONNELS - PARTIE 2

Welcome in the second part of the Personnal Pronouns lesson! 

We saw the singular pronouns, the plural pronouns, and how to differentiate them and to use them in some contexts. But, there is another way to use pronouns. 

Je = Moi / I = Me

Tu = Toi / You = You

Il = Lui / He = Him

Elle = Elle / She = Her

Nous = On / We, Us = We 

Vous = Vous / You = You

Ils = Eux / They = Them

Elles = Elles / They = Them

Same pronouns, slightly different usage. When you talk to someone, you use "Tu" or "Vous". When you talk about someone, you use the rest of the pronouns. AND, when you talk about someone in order to designated them, or pointing them out visually to someone else, you use the list above. 

Let's quickly use them with some examples:

"Je" = "Moi" / "I" = "Me"

Je suis parti tôt ce matin. / I left early this morning. (basic function of this pronoun, talking about yourself)

► Dis-moi ce qui ne va pas. / Tell me what's wrong. (other way to use "Je/I" with the pronoun "Moi/Me")

► Donne-le moi ! / Give it to me!

►Aime-moi. / Love me.

"Tu" = "Toi" / "You" = "You"

Tu vas bien ? / Are you okay? (basic function of "Tu", informal way of addressing someone)

► Tout le monde va bien ? Toi aussi ? / Is everyone okay? You too? 

► Toi aussi tu l'as trouvé étrange ? / Did you find him strange, too?

► Toi et moi. / You and me. 

► Je sais que toi aussi tu as des doutes sur ce qu'elle dit. / I know you have some doubt too about what she says.

"Il" = "Lui" / "He" = "Him"

Il est malade aujourd'hui, donc il ne viendra pas. / He is sick today, so he won't come.

► Donne-lui ce livre! / Give him this book!

► Demande-lui quelle heure il est./ Ask him what time is it.

► Lui ? Il est vraiment étrange... / Him? He is very strange... 

"Elle" = "Elle" / "She"="Her"

Elle m'a dit de ne surtout pas le dire à maman! / She told me not to tell mom!

► Elle a l'air fatiguée. / She looks tired.

► Je sais que tu n'as rien fait de mal, mais elle, si. / I know you didn't do anything wrong, but she did.

"Nous" = "On" / "We, Us" = "We"

Nous sommes vraiment ravis de vous rencontrer! / We are very pleased to meet you!

► On est encore perdus... / We are lost, again...

► Ça dépend de l'heure, mais on sera sans doute déjà partis quand ils arriveront. / It depends the time, but we will probably already left when they will arrive.

► Ma soeur et moi, on ne l'a pas vu depuis des années ! / My sister and I, we haven't seen him/her for years!

"Ils" = "Eux" / "They" = "They" 

Ils semblent plutôt bons danseurs. / They seem to be pretty good dancers.

► Eux aussi sont de bons danseurs! / They are good dancers, too!

► Eux aussi l'ont vu hier. / They saw it yesterday, too.

Now, keep in mind some simple things to help you memorize how to use them too.

First, you can easily see that those pronouns mean exactly the same that the basic ones, except that they are usually use to accentuate a fact or the designation of a person. 

Ex) 

- Ils semblent être de bons danseurs ! / They seem to be good dancers!

you basically say that they are and you are sure about what you see, you know they are good, you are surprised and happy by this fact so you designate them with "Ils", because there is several dancers in front of you.

And your friend next to you replies this, speaking about another group you just saw earlier:

- Et le groupe numéro 4 ? Eux aussi sont bons ! / And what about group number 4? They are good, too!

Your friend is basically trying to defend her idea and what she saw, speaking about this group of dancers and designate them with "Eux". Firstly because this is more natural in French, and secondly because this other pronoun is stronger in meaning when you want to emphasize another situation or another person that you saw, liked, talked about... 

More examples:

1)

- Je ne l'ai jamais vu si fatigué auparavant. / I have never seen him/her so tired before.

- Qui ? / Who?

- Lui, là-bas... / Him, over there...

2)

- De qui parlais-tu l'autre jour ? / Whom were you talking about the other day?

- (pointing a picture in a magazine) Eux. / Them. (plural form, several persons, masculine)

3)

- Qui est ce garçon très connu dont tu parlais ? / Who is this very known boy you were talking about?

- C'est lui ! / It's him! (singular form, one person, masculine)

4) 

- Ton petit-ami et toi allez au cinéma ce soir ? / Does your boyfriend and you go to the movie theatre tonight?

- On n'a pas encore décidé... / We haven't decided yet...

5)

- Qui est cette fille que j'ai vu hier, avec de longs cheveux ? / Who is that girl I saw yesterday, with long hair?

- C'est elle, regarde elle est là-bas ! / It's her, look she is right over there! 

6) 

- On a marché pendant des heures, je suis épuisé ! / We walked for hours, I am exhausted!

- Eux aussi... / Them too... 

This is how you designate someone or a group of people, in an indirect manner, by using those other pronouns. Why indirect? Because you designate someone without addressing yourself directly to them, but by showing them to someone else. 

You don't say "Tu" to the person because you are not in front of them, but "Il" or "Elle" or "Eux" to designate this person because at this exact moment, you are not with them physically or you want to talk about them without them knowing and you basically need a way to point them to the person you are talking to. 

Note also the fact that you sometimes need to show visually the person you are designating while you are speaking about them, especially if you suddenly want to emphasize them in the conversation. 

Remember the example about the girl with long hair. Your friend suddenly comes up with the idea of this girl and she asks you about this stranger she saw once the day before. You have no picture of this girl, no way to show her to your friend and sudenly, you see her on the campus or the street and you just point her out with your finger and say "It's her! Look!".

Those pronouns are a way to show your surprise or to surprise someone, to talk indirectly about someone because they are not there at the right moment, and to emphasize some facts  with more accuracy, or when you want to point them visually while speaking with other persons during a conversation. 

And, that's how you sound more natural and fluent in French, by using the right rules and by according the right pronouns to the right situations! :)