The Complete Guide to French Pronouns

Pronouns are small words that replace nouns, so we do not have to repeat names or things again and again. Instead of saying “Marie has a book”, we use pronouns: “She has a book.”.  French pronouns can feel overwhelming because there are so many types, each with its own rules. Learning them can feel daunting at first, but they are at the heart of everyday communication. From simple subject pronouns that can represent people (je, tu, il), to more advanced ones that show ownership (le mien, la tienne), connect ideas (qui, que, dont) and more. In short, pronouns are the shortcuts that make communication natural, quicker and clearer.

This guide will walk you through all the different types of French pronouns – personal, possessive, relative, demonstrative, and more and is designed to give you a clear preview of all French pronouns in one place. Instead of diving too deep into every rule here, you will get:

• An overview of each type of pronoun (personal, possessive, relative, demonstrative, etc.).
• Concise tables and examples so you can quickly see how they work.
• Quick explanations of the logic behind each category.
• Links to detailed articles for every pronoun type, so you can explore each one in depth at your own pace.

By the end of this article, you will have a big-picture map of French pronouns and know exactly where to go for more detailed study, without getting lost in grammar jargon.

1. Personal Pronouns (Les Pronoms Personnels)

Personal pronouns are the most frequently used. They replace people or things and can act as the subject, object, or emphatic form.

Person (Singular)	French	English	Person (Plural)	French	English
1st	je/j’	I	1st	nous	we
2nd	tu	you (informal)	2nd	vous	you (formal/plural)
3rd	il/elle/on	he / she / one, we (casual)	3rd	ils/elles	they

Example:

• Marie lit un livre → Elle lit un livre.
• Marie reads a book → She reads a book.

• Mark et moi allons au cinema → Nous allons au cinema
• Mark and me are going to the cinema → We are going to the cinema

• Emma et Chloé font un gateau – Elles font un gâteau
• Emma et Chloè are making a cake – They are making a cake

2. Possessive Pronouns (Les Pronoms Possessifs)

Possessive pronouns replace a noun and show possession (who owns something). They agree in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) with the thing possessed, not the owner.

English	Masculin singulier	Féminin singulier	Masculin pluriel	Féminin pluriel
Mine	le mien	la mienne	les miens	les miennes
Yours	le tien	la tienne	les tiens	les tiennes
His/Hers	le sien	la sienne	les siens	les siennes
Ours	le nôtre	la nôtre	les nôtres	les nôtres
Yours	le vôtre	la vôtre	les vôtres	les vôtres
Theirs	le leur	la leur	les leurs	les leurs

Example:

• Mon livre est rouge. → Le mien est bleu.
• My book is red → mine is blue. Here mien agrees with livre which is masculine singular.

• Ta voiture est rapide. → La mienne est lente.
• Your car is fast → mine is slow.  Mienne agrees with voiture (feminine singular).

Read the full guide to: Les Pronoms Possessifs

3. Relative Pronouns (Les Pronoms Relatifs Simples)

These are short, single words that link two parts of a sentence without any preposition in front of them. They directly replace a repeated noun.

• qui → subject (La femme qui parle est ma mère.)
• que → direct object (Le film que j’ai vu est incroyable.)
• où → place or time (La ville où je suis né est petite.)
• dont → “whose / of which / about which” (L’homme dont je parle est célèbre.)

Example:

• La fille qui chante est ma sœur. – The girl who is singing is my sister
• Le livre que j’ai lu est intéressant.  – The book that I read is interesting.
• L’année où nous avons voyagé était magique. – The year we travelled was magical.
• L’homme dont je parle est célèbre. – The man of whom I spoke is famous.

💡 Quick tip:

Qui is followed by a verb and que is followed by a subject.

Read the full guide to: Les Pronoms Relatifs Simples

4. Relative Pronouns (Les Pronoms Relatifs Composés)

These are formed with lequel and its variations, and they almost always follow a preposition.
They agree in gender and number with the noun they replace.

Masculin singulier	Féminin singulier	Masculin pluriel	Féminin pluriel
lequel	laquelle	lesquels	lesquelles

Examples with prepositions:

• La chaise sur laquelle je me suis assis est cassée. – The chair on which I sat is broken.
• Voici les amis avec lesquels je suis parti en voyage. – Here are the friends with whom I traveled.

When the preposition is à or de, the forms change slightly:

• à + lequel → auquel, à laquelle, auxquels, auxquelles
• de + lequel → duquel, de laquelle, desquels, desquelles

Examples:

• Le sujet auquel je pense est important. – The subject that I am thinking about is important. 
• La maison près de laquelle j’habite est ancienne. – The house near which I live is old.

💡 Quick tip: Which Relative Pronoun to Use?

Step 1: Is there a preposition before the noun I’m replacing?

    ├── NO → Use a simple relative pronoun:

    │       – Subject → qui

    │           Ex: La femme qui parle est ma prof.

    │       – Direct object → que (or qu’)

    │           Ex: Le livre que j’ai lu est fascinant.

    │       – Possession / “of which” → dont

    │           Ex: L’auteur dont je parle est célèbre.

    │       – Place / time → où

    │           Ex: L’année où je suis né était difficile.

    └── YES → Go to Step 2.

Step 2: Which preposition is it?

    ├── à  → auquel / à laquelle / auxquels / auxquelles

    │       Ex: Le sujet auquel je pense est complexe.

    ├── de → duquel / de laquelle / desquels / desquelles

    │       Ex: La maison près de laquelle je vis est grande.

    └── Other (sur, avec, dans, etc.) →

            lequel / laquelle / lesquels / lesquelles

            Ex: La chaise sur laquelle je me suis assis est cassée.

Use simple pronouns when there’s no preposition before the noun you’re replacing.

Use composed pronouns when there is a preposition (sur, avec, dans, à, de, etc.).

Here is the full guide to: Les Pronoms Relatifs Simples

5. Demonstrative Pronouns (Les Pronoms Démonstratifs)

These replace a noun and mean “this one / that one / these / those.” They also agree in gender and number.

Masculin singulier	Féminin singulier	Masculin pluriel	Féminin pluriel
celui	celle	ceux	celles

They often appear with: -ci (this, these) and -là (that, those)

Example:

• J’aime ce pull, mais je préfère celui que tu portes. (Celui remplace pull (masculin singulier))  → I like this sweater, but I prefer the one you’re wearing. 
• Ma maison est petite, mais celle de mes parents est grande. (Celle remplace maison (féminin singulier))  →  My house is small, but the one my parents have is big.
• Mes amis sont gentils, mais ceux de ma sœur sont encore plus drôles. (Ceux remplace amis (masculin pluriel))  → My friends are nice, but those of my sister are even funnier.
• J’aime les photos, surtout celles que tu as prises hier.(Celles remplace photos (féminin pluriel))  →  I like the photos, especially the ones you took yesterday.
• Tu veux cette chaise-ci ou celle-là ? – (-ci = “this one” (near), -là = “that one” (far)) →  Do you want this chair or that one?

6. Direct Object Pronouns (Complément d’objet Direct (COD))

The direct object is the person or thing that receives the action directly, without a preposition. To find it, ask “Quoi ?” (what?) or “Qui ?” (whom?) after the verb.

Example:

• Je lis le livre. → Je le lis.
• I read the book → I read it.

• Tu vois Marie. → Tu la vois.
• You see Marie → You see her.

Read the full guide to: Compléments D’Objet Direct (COD)

7. Indirect Object Pronouns Complément d’objet Indirect (COI)

• The indirect object is introduced by a preposition (usually à).
• To find it, ask “À qui ?” (to whom?) or “À quoi ?” (to what?) after the verb.

Example:

• Je parle à Paul. → Je lui parle.
• I speak to Paul → I speak to him.

• Elle écrit à ses amis. → Elle leur écrit.
• She writes to her friends → She writes to them.

COD vs COI

Person	COD (Direct Object)	COI (Indirect Object)
1st sg	me / m’	me / m’
2nd sg	te / t’	te / t’
3rd sg	le / la / l’	lui
1st pl	nous	nous
2nd pl	vous	vous
3rd pl	les	leur

💡 Quick tip: Technique to Identify COD vs COI

1. Look at the verb and see if there is a preposition.
   • No preposition → COD
   • With “à” (to) → COI
     
2. Ask the right question:
   • Qui ? / Quoi ? → COD
   • À qui ? / À quoi ? → COI
     

Examples:

• Je regarde le film. → Je regarde quoi ? → le film → COD → Je le regarde.
• Je téléphone à ma mère. → Je téléphone à qui ? → à ma mère → COI → Je lui téléphone.

Read the full guide to: Compléments D’Objet Indirect (COI)

8. Les Pronoms Toniques

In French, pronoms toniques (also called stressed pronouns or disjunctive pronouns) are used when you want to emphasize, use a pronoun after a preposition, or when the pronoun is standing alone (without a verb).
They are called disjunctive because they do not stick to the verb the way COD/COI pronouns do.

List of stressed pronouns

Person	Singular	Plural
1st	moi (me)	nous (us)
2nd	toi (you)	vous (you)
3rd masc.	lui (him)	eux (them – masc.)
3rd fem.	elle (her)	elles (them – fem.)
Neutral	soi (oneself)	—

💡 Quick tip: Important difference to remember

• COD/COI pronouns → go before the verb 
  • Je le vois = I see him
  • Je lui parle = I speak to him.

• Stressed pronouns (toniques) → used after prepositions, for emphasis, or alone (avec lui, moi aussi, pour elle).
  • Je parle de lui. → I’m talking about him.
  • Ce cadeau est pour elle. → This gift is for her.
  • Ils viennent chez nous. → They’re coming to our place.
  • Je pars avec toi. → I’m leaving with you.
  • Toi, tu comprends bien. → You, you understand well.
  • Eux, ils n’aiment pas ça. → Them, they don’t like that.

9. Adverbial Pronouns EN and Y (Les Pronoms Adverbiaux EN et Y)

French, adverbial pronouns are small words that replace longer phrases, and like most other pronouns are used to avoid repetition and make sentences smoother. They are called adverbial pronouns because they often replace phrases that function like adverbs-telling where, from where, how much, etc. The two main adverbial pronouns are EN and Y.

• EN usually replaces phrases with “de+noun” or expressions of quantity.
  • Tu veux du pain ? → Oui, j’en veux.
  • Do you want some bread? → Yes, I want it.
  • Elle a trois frères. → Elle en a trois.
  • She has three brothers → Yes she has three of them.
  • Nous parlons de ce problème. → Nous en parlons
  • We are speaking about this problem → We speak about it

• Y usually replaces phrases with à + place/thing” (but not people) or indicates a place.It is mostly used for places or abstract things.
  • Tu vas à l’école ? → Oui, j’y vais.
  • Are you going to school? → Yes I am going there
  • Ils pensent à leur avenir. → Ils y pensent.
  • They think about their future → They think about it
  • Elle est dans le jardin. → Elle y est.
  • She is in the garden → She is there

Read the full guide to: Les pronoms adverbiaux EN et Y