French first person pronoun

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phrase

   The pronoun in French that refers to the speaker: 'je' (I) or 'nous'/'on' (we).

   Grammar: Used as a grammatical term; in French the forms change with subject and verb ending.

   Patterns

   • French first person pronoun
   • first person pronoun in French

   In French, the first person pronoun 'je' is used for 'I'.

   The French first person pronoun 'nous' means 'we' in formal contexts.

   Learners often mix up the French first person pronoun 'je' with the object pronoun 'me'.

2. 2phrasefixed phrase

   The stressed form 'moi' used for emphasis or after prepositions, meaning 'me'.

   Grammar: Not used as the subject of a verb; appears in phrases like 'moi, je...' or 'avec moi'.

   Patterns

   • moi, je ...
   • avec moi

   The French first person pronoun 'moi' is used for emphasis: 'Moi, je pense que...'

   After a preposition, French uses 'moi' as the first person pronoun: 'pour moi'.

   You cannot say 'je' after a preposition; use the first person pronoun 'moi' instead.

Common combinations

first person singular

The French first person singular pronoun is 'je'.

first person plural

The French first person plural pronoun is 'nous' or 'on'.

subject pronoun

'Je' is a French subject pronoun.

object pronoun

'Me' is the French first person object pronoun.

stressed pronoun

'Moi' is the stressed French first person pronoun.

Synonyms and how they differ

French personal pronoun

A broader term that includes first, second, and third person pronouns.

Word family

je pronoun

French first person singular subject pronoun meaning 'I'.

nous pronoun

French first person plural subject pronoun meaning 'we' (formal or written).

on pronoun

French indefinite pronoun often used for 'we' in everyday speech.

moi pronoun

French stressed first person singular pronoun meaning 'me'.

Commonly confused: French first person pronoun or je?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “French first person pronoun”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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