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Subject Pronouns: je, tu, il, elle, on

FoundationHigherAQA

Practise Subject Pronouns: je, tu, il, elle, on 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). Subject pronouns replace the noun doing the action and determine the verb ending.

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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

Subject pronouns replace the person or thing doing the verb, and every French verb needs one — unlike Spanish or Italian, you cannot drop it.

The forms are je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils, elles. Il and elle mean he and she, but they also mean it, because every French noun has a gender. Le livre becomes il, la table becomes elle.

On is the one with no direct English equivalent. It means one, we or people in general, and in spoken French it has largely replaced nous for we — on va au cinéma is far more natural than nous allons au cinéma. Crucially, on always takes the same verb form as il and elle, never the nous form.

Revision notes

The full set

Je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils, elles.

Il and elle also mean it, because objects have gender: le livre becomes il, la table becomes elle. Ils is used for a mixed group, however many women are in it.

The pronoun cannot be dropped

Unlike Spanish or Italian, French always requires the subject pronoun.

Parle on its own is a command, not I speak. Je parle is needed. This is a frequent error for students who have studied another Romance language.

The pronoun on

Means one, we, or people in general.

In spoken French it has largely replaced nous: on va au cinéma. Critically, on takes the same verb form as il and elle — on va, never on allons.

Key points

  • Subject pronouns replace the person doing the verb.
  • French always requires the subject pronoun.
  • Il and elle also mean it.
  • Ils is used for any mixed group.
  • On means one, we or people in general.
  • On takes the il and elle verb form.

Worked examples

Example 1

Give the subject pronoun that replaces le livre. [2 marks]

Working

iluse the masculine singular pronoun
Il is used because livre is masculine, and it means it here rather than heexplain the choice

Example 2

Translate: we are going to the cinema, using on. [2 marks]

Working

On va au cinémause on with the third person singular verb form
Va is used, not allons, because on always takes the il and elle formexplain the verb form

Example 3

Explain why ils is used for a group of three women and one man. [2 marks]

Working

Ils is the masculine plural pronounstate the form
French uses the masculine plural for any mixed group, however many women it containsexplain the rule

Common mistakes

  • Dropping the subject pronoun.

    French always requires it, unlike Spanish or Italian.

  • Using the nous verb form with on.

    On takes the il and elle form: on va, not on allons.

  • Using elles for a mixed group.

    Ils is used if there is even one male.

  • Forgetting il and elle mean it.

    Objects have gender, so they take il or elle.

Exam tips

  • Never omit the subject pronoun.
  • Use the il form of the verb after on.
  • Use ils for any mixed group.
  • Remember il and elle cover it as well as he and she.

Key terms

Subject pronoun
A word replacing the person or thing doing the verb.
On
A pronoun meaning one, we or people in general.
Mixed group
A group of both genders, taking ils.
Third person singular
The il and elle verb form, also used with on.

Related topics

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