Subject Pronouns
French subject pronouns and the special usage of on/vous
Subject pronouns at a glance
Lock in the two mistakes most likely to trip you up first: using tu with everyone (with a stranger, an elder, or in a formal setting you must use vous), and treating spoken on as a plural when you conjugate the verb.
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | je (I) | nous (we) |
| 2nd | tu (you) | vous (you / you-formal) |
| 3rd masc. | il (he / it) | ils (they) |
| 3rd fem. | elle (she / it) | elles (they) |
| Indefinite | on (people / we) | — |
💡 Grab the intuition: on always takes the "he/she" verb form (3rd person singular), even when it means "we." Think of on as an invisible "someone" — so On mange (we eat) has exactly the same form as Il mange, never with -nt.
Using on
on is the most flexible pronoun in French:
| Meaning | Example | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| people / everyone | On parle français ici. | People speak French here. |
| casual "we" | On va au cinéma ? | Shall we go to the movies? |
| someone | On a volé mon sac ! | Someone stole my bag! |
Common on the TCF: in listening, on = nous is the most frequent use.
The two meanings of vous
| Use | Setting |
|---|---|
| you (plural) | speaking to several people |
| you (polite singular) | formal settings, people you don't know, elders |
TCF listening tip: whether vous means "you all" or "you (formal)" depends on the context.
Special notes
- je contracts to j' before a vowel: j'aime, j'habite
- ils is used for mixed-gender groups (even if only one member is masculine)
- French has no "it" — every noun has a gender, so use il/elle to refer to things
⚠️ The nastiest ones: on's verb, tu/vous, and mixed-group ils
Three high-frequency traps that both speaking and listening keep an eye on:
| Trap | Wrong | Right |
|---|---|---|
| on with a plural verb | On | On mange (3rd person singular) |
| tu with someone you don't know | Vous avez l'heure ? (polite) | |
| elles for a mixed group | one man + one woman → | ils (a single masculine is enough) |
- on: it means "we / people," but the verb always follows il/elle → On est prêts, on va partir.
- tu vs vous: use tu with friends, family, peers; use vous with strangers, clients, elders, in formal settings. When in doubt, use vous.
- ils vs elles: use elles only when everyone is feminine; the moment the group includes one masculine member, use ils.