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Emphatic Pronouns: moi and toi

FoundationHigherAQA

Learn Emphatic Pronouns: moi and toi for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). Emphatic pronouns moi and toi are used after prepositions such as avec or pour.

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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.

Foundation

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Higher

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Topic overview

Emphatic pronouns are used for emphasis and after prepositions, and they are the forms that stand alone.

Moi means me and toi means you. They appear in several structures. After a preposition: avec moi, pour toi, chez moi. For emphasis at the start: moi, j'aime le sport — me, I like sport. In one-word answers: qui veut venir? Moi.

They also appear in commands. Regarde-moi means look at me, with the pronoun after the verb and joined by a hyphen — one of the few places a French pronoun follows its verb. And after c'est: c'est moi means it is me.

Revision notes

After prepositions

Avec moi, pour toi, chez moi, sans toi.

The ordinary pronouns je and tu cannot follow a preposition. Avec je is impossible; it must be avec moi.

For emphasis and alone

Moi, j'aime le sport — me, I like sport, emphasising who.

In one-word answers: qui veut venir? Moi. And after c'est: c'est moi, c'est toi. In each case the pronoun stands on its own.

In positive commands

Regarde-moi. Donne-moi le livre.

In a positive command the pronoun follows the verb, joined by a hyphen — one of the few places this happens. In a negative command it returns to its normal position before the verb: ne me regarde pas.

Key points

  • Emphatic pronouns stand alone.
  • Moi means me and toi means you.
  • They follow prepositions.
  • Avec moi, not avec je.
  • They are used for emphasis at the start.
  • They follow the verb in positive commands.

Worked examples

Example 1

Translate: with me. [2 marks]

Working

avec moiuse the emphatic pronoun after the preposition
Je cannot follow a preposition, so moi is requiredexplain the choice

Example 2

Translate: look at me, as a command. [2 marks]

Working

Regarde-moiuse the emphatic pronoun after the verb
The pronoun follows the verb in a positive command and is joined by a hyphenexplain the position

Example 3

Translate: it is me. [2 marks]

Working

C'est moiuse c'est with the emphatic pronoun
Moi is used because the pronoun stands alone after c'estexplain the choice

Common mistakes

  • Using je after a preposition.

    Avec moi, never avec je.

  • Forgetting the hyphen in commands.

    Regarde-moi needs it.

  • Using moi as a subject.

    Moi, j'aime — moi emphasises, je is still the subject.

  • Keeping the pronoun after the verb in negative commands.

    It returns before the verb: ne me regarde pas.

Exam tips

  • Use emphatic forms after every preposition.
  • Add a hyphen in positive commands.
  • Keep je as the subject even when moi emphasises.
  • Move the pronoun back before the verb in negative commands.

Key terms

Emphatic pronoun
A pronoun standing alone or following a preposition.
Moi
The emphatic form meaning me.
Preposition
A word such as avec, requiring an emphatic pronoun.
Positive command
An instruction where the pronoun follows the verb.

Related topics

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