1. Junior Freshman Language Grammar and Grammatical analysis
Grammar Lecture 8
Pronouns (2)

2. Pronouns Personal pronouns Reflexive pronouns Interrogative pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns
Possessive pronouns
Relative pronouns
Indefinite pronouns

3. (1) Personal pronouns (continued): (a) object pronouns
Object pronouns are used when a pronoun is either a direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition.

4. Object pronouns In English:
Most object pronouns are different from subject pronouns, but the same pronouns are used as direct objects, indirect objects, or objects of a preposition.

5. Subject and object pronouns in English
Singular
1st person I me
2nd person
you
3rd person
he/she/it
him/her/it
Plural we us
they
them

6. In French…..
As in English, the pronouns used as objects are different from the ones used as subjects.
Unlike English, the form of an object pronoun often changes depending on whether it is a direct object, or an object of a preposition.

7. First and second persons singular and plural
Subject
Direct object
Singular
1st person
2nd person je tu me te I
you
Plural
nous
vous we us

8. Identifying the function of nous and vous can be confusing:
same forms are used as subject and object.
both subject and object forms are placed before the verb.

9. Third person singular and plural (him, her, it and them)
Subject
Direct object
Singular
masculine
Feminine il
elle le la
he, it
she, it
him, it
her, it
Plural
feminine
ils
elles
les
they
them

10. French indirect object pronouns
First, make sure that the French verb takes an indirect object.

11. First and second persons singular and plural
Subject
Indirect object
Singular
1st person
2nd person je tu me te I
you
(to) me
(to) you
Plural
nous
vous we
(to) us

12. Third person singular and plural (him, her, it and them)
Direct object
Indirect object
Singular
masculine
Feminine le la
People Things
lui y
him, it
her, it
(to) him
(to) her
(to) it
Plural
feminine
les
leur y
them
(to) them
There are two types of 3rd person indirect object pronouns, those referring to people and animals and those referring to things and ideas.
The indirect object pronoun of the 3rd person referring to people does not change form.
The only way you can tell if lui refers to a male or a female is from what has been said before.
e.g. Are you speaking to Paul? Yes, I am speaking to him.
Identify the verb: it’s ‘to speak’
What is the French equivalent: parler
Does the French verb require the preposition à before an object? Yes.
Function of the pronoun in French: indirect object.
Type of antecendent: person: Paul
Selection: lui

13. There is only one form of the 3rd person indirect object pronouns referring to things and ideas: y:
Are you answering the letter? Yes, I am answering it.
Do you obey the laws? Yes, I obey them.

14. Translate
He gives his sister the gift
He gives her the gift

15. Personal pronouns (continued) Disjunctive (Stressed) pronouns
French stressed pronouns (also known as disjunctive pronouns) are used to emphasize a noun or pronoun that refers to a person. There are 9 forms in French

16. Personal pronouns (continued) Disjunctive (Stressed) pronouns
Subject
Direct object
Indirect object
Reflexive
Stressed je
me*
moi tu
te*
toi
il,elle,on
le, la
lui se
lui,elle,soi
nous
vous
ils,elles
les
leur
eux,elles

17. Use of stressed pronouns for emphasis:
To highlight or emphasise a pronoun, a common strategy is to ‘double up’ by the addition of a stressed pronoun.
e.g. Subject pronouns:
Toi, tu le crois peut-être mais lui, il ne le croit pas
YOU might believe that, but HE doesn’t

18. Stressed pronouns: (subject)
The stressed subject pronoun copy may equally appear at the end of the clause with the same effect:
Tu le crois peut-être toi, mais il ne le croit pas, lui.

19. Stressed pronouns: (subject)
When third person subject pronouns are highlighted or emphasised, the stressed pronoun alone may, on occasions, be used:
HE could do it
THEY would know what to say

20. Stressed pronouns: (object)
A common strategy is to add a second, stressed pronoun at either the beginning or the end of the clause:
He confides in ME (and not in you)
HE is known to be innocent

21. Stressed pronouns standing alone
Stressed pronouns are normally used where the pronoun stands alone, or is in a phrase without a verb:
Qui est là? Moi (not *je)
Qui as-tu vu? Lui (not *il)

22. Reflexive verbs and pronouns
A reflexive verb is a verb which is accompanied by a pronoun, called a reflexive pronoun, which serves ‘to reflect’ the action of the verb back to the subject.

23. Reflexive pronouns Subject Direct object Indirect object Reflexive
Stressed je
me*
moi tu
te*
toi
il,elle,on
le, la
lui se
lui,elle,soi
nous
vous
ils,elles
les
leur
eux,elles

24. Reflexive pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are used only with pronominal verbs (‘les verbes pronominaux’).
They always agree with the subject of the sentence.
Like object pronouns, the reflexive pronoun is placed directly in front of the verb in all tenses except the imperative.
e.g. tu te lèves → lève-toi

25. Reflexive pronouns
Reflexive pronouns always agree with their subjects, in all tenses and moods.
I will get up
We went to bed
Are you going to shave?

26. Reflexive verbs are common in French.
There are many English expressions that are not reflexive in English, but whose French equivalent is a reflexive verb.
to get up to make a mistake
to go to bed to stop
to wake up to take a walk
to be bored
to have fun