Les Pronoms Tonique

French tonic (stressed/disjunctive) pronouns are used to emphasise a person, stand alone in short answers, appear after prepositions, and follow c’est/ce sont; the core forms are: moi, toi, lui, elle, soi, nous, vous, eux, elles.

Overview and Forms

The function of pronoun tonique is to emphasise people, clarify who is meant, and appear where subject/object clitics cannot be used. They typically do not refer to things.

Forms of Stress Pronouns

Subject Pronoun	Stress Pronoun	English Equivalent
je	moi	me / I
tu	toi	you
il	lui	him
elle	elle	her
nous	nous	us
vous	vous	you
ils	eux	them (masc./mixed)
elles	elles	them (fem.)

👉Important Notes:

 Some stress pronouns are identical to subject pronouns (nous, vous, elle, elles), but their function is different.

Usage

• Emphasis: Place the tonic pronoun before a clause or after a coordinating marker to stress identity.
  • Moi, je préfère commencer tôt. →  As for me, I prefer to start early.
  • Lui, il ne vient pas aujourd’hui. →  He, on the other hand, is not coming today.
• After c’est/ce sont: Identify or emphasise a person as the complement of c’est/ce sont.
  • C’est moi. →  It is me.
  • Ce sont eux. →  It is them.
• After prepositions: Required after most simple and complex prepositions.
  • pour elle →  for her; 
  • avec nous →  with us; 
  • sans toi →  without you; 
  • chez eux →  at their place; 
  • parmi elles →  among them (fem.).
• Short answers and elliptical replies: Stand alone to avoid repeating a full clause.
  • Qui vient ? — Moi. →  Who is coming? — Me.
  • Tu es d’accord ? — Eux, non. →  Do they agree? — They do not.
• Comparisons/contrasts with que and comme: Emphasise difference or similarity between persons.
  • Il est plus grand que moi. →  He is taller than me.
  • Comme toi, je travaille le soir. →  Like you, I work in the evening.
• Coordination of subjects: When joining a noun and a pronoun as a compound subject, use the tonic form.
  • Toi et moi, nous partons maintenant. →  You and I are leaving now.
  • Marie et eux habitent ici. →  Marie and they live here.
• With aussi/non plus: Add “also/too” or “neither/either.”
  • Moi aussi. →  Me too.
  • Lui non plus. →  Him neither.
• Emphatic clefts with relative clauses: Highlight who performed an action.
  • C’est elle qui a gagné. →  It is she who won.
  • C’est moi qui décide. →  I am the one who decides.

Summary Table of Uses

Function	Example in French	Translation
Emphasis	Moi, je suis prêt.	Me, I am ready.
After c’est	C’est elle.	It’s her.
Short answer	Qui vient ? – Nous !	Who’s coming? – Us!
After preposition	Je parle de toi.	I’m talking about you.
Comparison	Il est plus fort qu’eux.	He is stronger than them.
With -même	Nous-mêmes, nous avons choisi.	We ourselves chose.
Multiple subjects	Toi et moi, nous partons.	You and I are leaving.

Special notes on soi

• soi is used with impersonal subjects, generic statements, or pronominal verbs with an unspecified subject.
  • Chacun doit penser à soi. →  Everyone must think of oneself.
  • On doit rester fidèle à soi. →  One must stay true to oneself.

Do not confuse with object clitics

• lui and leur can be indirect object clitics, but tonic forms behave differently and typically follow prepositions or stand alone for emphasis.
  • Clitic: Je lui parle. →  I speak to him/her.
  • Tonic after preposition: Je parle avec lui/elle. →  I speak with him/her.

Subject pronouns vs tonic

Subject pronouns sit before the verb; tonic add emphasis or follow prepositions.

• Subject: Je viens. →  I am coming.
• Tonic for emphasis: Moi, je viens. →  Me, I am coming.

💡 Quick tips:

• Clitic means the form cannot stand alone phonologically; it leans on the verb and occupies a fixed slot in the sentence.
• They are different from tonic (stressed) pronouns, which stand alone, carry emphasis, and follow prepositions.

⚠️Reminder

Common pitfalls and fixes

• Using a subject pronoun after a preposition: After any preposition, switch to tonic form.
  • Incorrect: avec il → Correct: avec lui.
• Using clitics in emphatic positions: For emphasis or stand‑alone answers, use tonic, not clitic.
  • Incorrect: *Lui il, je l’aime, moi je… overstuffed; prefer a single, clear emphasis: Moi, je l’aime bien.
• Referring to things: Tonic pronouns generally refer to people; use demonstratives or appropriate pronouns for objects.
  • For an object: Je préfère celui‑ci. not a tonic form.
• Do not use stress pronouns directly as the subject of a verb:
• Remember they appear mostly with emphasis, prepositions, or c’est/ce sont—not in ordinary subject position.

✏️ Practice Exercises:

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1. Complete each sentence with the correct stress pronoun
   1. C’est ___ qui ai écrit cette lettre.
   2. Qui veut du café ? – ___ !
   3. Paul est plus grand que ___.
   4. Tu viens avec ___ ce soir ?
   5. Ce sont ___ qui ont gagné le match.
   6. Elle est partie avec ___, pas avec toi.
   7. Nous allons au cinéma. Et ___ ?
   8. Jacques et ___, nous sommes amis depuis longtemps.
      
2. Rewrite the sentences using stress pronouns to avoid repetition or add emphasis.
   1. J’aime le chocolat. Marie aime le chocolat aussi.
   2. Pierre parle de Jean.
   3. Sophie et moi allons au concert.
   4. Ce sont les filles qui chantent.
   5. Marc est intelligent. Paul est intelligent aussi.
   6. J’ai fait ce devoir tout seul.
   7. Ils ont choisi le restaurant. Nous avons choisi le restaurant aussi.
   8. Claire sort avec son frère, pas avec toi.
      
3. Translate into French using stress pronouns.

1. It’s me.
2. Who wants ice cream? – Me!
3. She is taller than him.
4. Are you coming with us?
5. I wrote this myself.
6. They do not agree, but we do.
7. You and I are leaving tomorrow.
8. He lives near them (masculine).
   

Answer Key

Exercise 1:

1. moi
2. moi
3. lui
4. moi
5. elles
6. lui
7. vous
8. lui
   

Exercise 2:

1. J’aime le chocolat, et elle aussi.
2. Pierre parle de lui.
3. Nous allons au concert.
4. Ce sont elles qui chantent.
5. Paul aussi, c’est lui.
6. J’ai fait ce devoir moi-même.
7. Nous aussi, c’est nous.
8. pas avec toi.
   

Exercise 3:

• C’est moi.
• Qui veut de la glace ? – Moi !
• Elle est plus grande que lui.
• Tu viens avec nous ?
• J’ai écrit ça moi-même.
• Eux ne sont pas d’accord, mais nous, oui.
• Toi et moi, nous partons demain.
• Il habite près de eux.