8.3.17

Emphatic Pronouns

Test yourself

Me, Him , Them

As the name 'emphatic pronouns' suggests, these are used to add emphasis to a sentence. They can only refer to people.

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Vous - you (plural)

Vous can also mean you (singular formal)

Stressed Pronouns

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Use:

  • To emphasize the subject, repeat the subject pronoun.
  • After c'est and ce sont or on it's own.
    • Toi, tu as raison.
      • You, (yes you), are right.
    • Moi! C'est moi qui parle.
      • Me! It is me who is speaking.
    • C'est moi qui l'ai mangé
      • It's me who ate it.
    • Ce sont eux qui ont demandé
      • It is them who asked.
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Acting as the subject

  • When the verb is implied.
    • Nous faisons de la planche à voile, mais eux pas du tout.
      • We do windsurfing, but they don't (do it) at all.
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Comparison

  • When you are comparing people you need to use the emphatic pronouns.
    • Il est plus gros que moi.
      • He is fatter than me.
    • Elle est plus grande que toi.
      • She is taller than you.
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Giving positive instructions

  • Giving positive instructions (i.e. telling someone to do something) involves using the imperative. The imperative follows a specific order:
  • Verb + hyphen + emphatic pronoun.
    • Donne-lui le stylo!
      • Give him the pen.
    • Suivez-moi!
      • Follow me.
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After prepositions

  • Je vais avec lui.
    • I'm going with him.
  • Elle a acheté les vêtements pour eux.
    • She bought the clothes for them.
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Yourself, myself

  • To talk about doing something for yourself, you need to use the emphatic pronouns.
    • Chacun pour soi.
      • Every man for himself.
    • Je peux le faire moi-même.
      • I can do it myself.

Jump to other topics

1Everyday Activities

2Personal & Social Life

3The World Around Us

4The World of Work

5The International World

6Common Tenses

7Advanced Tenses

8Extra Grammar

8.1Articles

8.2The Passive Voice

8.3Pronouns

8.4Asking Questions

8.5Nouns

8.6Prepositions

8.7Adverbs

8.8Adjectives

8.9Negative

8.10Conjunctions

8.11Miscellaneous

8.12Verbs

8.13Numbers

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