Pronouns, or "proxy nouns," can take the place of subjects, direct objects, and indirect objects.
The subject pronouns in French are as follows:
Tu is always singular, used in reference to a relative, friend, child, or a pet. Vous is formal when used in the singular. It always used to address a two or more people in the second person.
While nous is correct as a first-person plural pronoun, the pronoun on often is used for the same purpose. However, when this is done, verbs are conjugated in the third-person singular.
| Alors, on est aller au musée? | — "So, we are going to the museum?" ("So, we are to go to the museum?") |
On also can mean "One," similar to how English speakers would say "You can…" to refer to something that is generally possible. It is conjugated in the third person.
| On peut aller là-bas. | — "One can go over there." ("One is able to go over there.") |
On also can be used in place of "They" and "People." As a broadly used pronoun in French, it has no direct English equivalent.
| Je vois le maison. | — "I see the house." |
Direct objects receive the action of the verb — in this case, a house.
In English, using a direct-object pronoun would make the above statement "I see it." However, pronouns in French are placed in front of the verb, rather than in the anterior location familiar to English speakers:
| Je le vois. | — "I see it." |
The indirect object pronouns in French are as follows:
| Je donne le velo à Francois. | — "I give the bicycle to Francois." |
Indirect objects typically are people. They appear as the recipients of action, often following the prepositions "to" and "for":
The indirect object pronouns in French are as follows:
| Je donne le velo à Francois. | — "I give the bicycle to Francois." |
With a direct object pronoun, this becomes:
| Je le donne à Francois. | — "I it give to Francois." |
With an indirect object pronoun:
| Je donne lui le velo. | — "I give to him the bicycle." |
With both direct and indirect object pronouns, "lui is last":
| Je le lui donne. | — "I it to him give." |
When using compound verb forms, such as in the passé composé, the pronoun precedes the auxiliary verb. It also will follow the normal contraction or pushed-letter rules between two words:
| Je l'ai donné à Francois. | — "I gave it to Francois." |
| Je le l'ai donné à Francois. | — "I gave it to him." |
Y refers to a location already mentioned, translated as "there."
| Je veux aller ici. | — "I want to go here." |
| Je veux aller la. | — "I want to go there." |
| Je veux y aller. | — "I want there to go." |
| Je veux aller la ba. | — "I want to go over there." |
En is translated as "some (of it)" or "any (of it)." When used, the "of it" is implied in French and not expressed.
| Je peux en voir. | — "I can see some of it." |