Emphatic Pronouns
French: Cambridge International GCSE, topic 8.3.17
Me, Him , Them
As the name 'emphatic pronouns' suggests, these are used to add emphasis to a sentence. They can only refer to people.
Moi - me
Toi - you (singular)
Lui, elle - him, her
Soi - oneself
Nous - us
Vous - you (plural)
Vous can also mean you (singular formal)
Eux, elles - them
Stressed Pronouns
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.
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.
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.
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.
After prepositions
- Je vais avec lui.
- I'm going with him.
- Elle a acheté les vêtements pour eux.
- She bought the clothes for them.
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.
Test yourself on Emphatic Pronouns
How do you say 'oneself' in French?
Which of the following pronouns are used for emphasis?
How do you say 'self confidence' in French?