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Emphatic Pronouns: lui, elle, nous, vous, eux

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Practise Emphatic Pronouns: lui, elle, nous, vous, eux for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Higher tier exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). At Higher tier the full set of emphatic pronouns is used after prepositions.

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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

This is a Higher tier only topic, so there's no Foundation paper — only the Higher worksheet and mark scheme below.

Higher

WorksheetHigher · PDFMark SchemeHigher · PDF

Topic overview

The remaining emphatic pronouns are lui, elle, nous, vous and eux, completing the set. This is a Higher-only topic.

Lui means him and elle means her — note that lui here is the emphatic form, not the indirect object pronoun that also means to him or to her. The two are spelled identically and only position distinguishes them. Eux means them for a masculine or mixed group, and elles for an all-female group.

The same uses apply: after prepositions, for emphasis, in one-word answers and after c'est. Chez eux means at their house, avec elle means with her, and c'est lui means it is him. Nous and vous are unchanged from their subject forms.

Revision notes

The full set

Moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles.

Lui means him, elle means her, eux means them for a masculine or mixed group, elles for females only. Nous and vous are identical to their subject forms.

Lui has two jobs

As an emphatic pronoun, lui means him and follows a preposition or stands alone: avec lui, c'est lui.

As an indirect object pronoun, lui means to him or to her and goes before the verb: je lui parle. Position is what distinguishes them.

The same uses

After prepositions: chez eux, avec elle, pour nous.

For emphasis: eux, ils aiment le sport. In one-word answers, and after c'est: c'est lui, c'est elles. The pattern is identical to moi and toi.

Key points

  • The full set adds lui, elle, nous, vous, eux.
  • Lui means him as an emphatic pronoun.
  • Eux means them for a mixed group.
  • Elles is used for an all-female group.
  • Lui also exists as an indirect object pronoun.
  • Position distinguishes the two uses of lui.

Worked examples

Example 1

Translate: with her. [2 marks]

Working

avec elleuse the emphatic pronoun after the preposition
Elle is used for a female, following the preposition avecexplain the choice

Example 2

Translate: at their house, referring to a mixed group. [2 marks]

Working

chez euxuse the masculine plural emphatic pronoun
Eux is used for a masculine or mixed groupexplain the form

Example 3

Explain the two different uses of lui. [2 marks]

Working

As an emphatic pronoun, lui means him and follows a preposition or stands alone, as in avec luiexplain the emphatic use
As an indirect object pronoun, lui means to him or to her and goes before the verb, as in je lui parleexplain the object use

Common mistakes

  • Confusing the two uses of lui.

    Position distinguishes them — before the verb or after a preposition.

  • Using ils instead of eux after a preposition.

    Avec eux, not avec ils.

  • Using eux for an all-female group.

    Elles is used for females only.

  • Forgetting nous and vous are unchanged.

    They are identical to the subject forms.

Exam tips

  • Check the position to identify which lui is meant.
  • Use eux after prepositions, not ils.
  • Use elles for all-female groups.
  • Remember this is a Higher-only topic.

Key terms

Eux
The emphatic pronoun meaning them, masculine or mixed.
Elles
The emphatic pronoun for an all-female group.
Emphatic use
Following a preposition or standing alone.
Indirect object use
Going before the verb, meaning to him or to her.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.