How to Learn French Pronouns
While French has a slightly more complicated pronoun system than English, the native speaker of English has a leg up because of structural similarities between the two. Though it will take a bit of dedication, fully understanding French pronouns in all their cases improves both sentence formation and comprehension for the learner of French.
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Instructions
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Study Tips
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Set aside time every day to study pronouns (les pronoms in French). Ideally, until you are comfortable with all French parts of speech, you should have a dedicated amount of time for a given topic, including pronouns. Having a set amount of time, especially if it is at the same time every day, will lead you to progress more quickly, keeping the topic fresh in your mind.
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Use both written and audio materials for your study. Reference charts of French pronouns will be helpful, but make sure to also have contextualized examples you can work from, such as the sample exercises included in the Resources section. It is, as always, helpful to hear a native or more experienced speaker say phrases with pronouns to aid pronunciation and comprehension.
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Take as much time and write as many notes as you need to. While some learners will integrate a new topic like pronouns very quickly, others may simply take longer, need to have more examples, and make more thorough annotations. Learning a language is not a race, and you can only push yourself so far.
Les Pronoms
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Learn the subject pronouns (I, he, she, etc). In French, these are: je/j'; tu; il, elle, on; nous; vous; ils, elles (I; you; he, she, one; we; you [plural or formal]; they [masculine], they [feminine]). For example, je parle, tu parles, il/elle/on parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils/elles parlent (I speak, you speak, etc).
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Focus on direct object pronouns, which are used to substitute the direct object of a verb (me, you, him/her/it, etc.). These are me/m'; te/t'; le/l', la/l', nous, vous, les (me, you, him/her, us, you, them). For instance, tu m'aimes, je t'aime, je l'aime, nous nous aimons, je vous aime, tu les aimes.
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Turn to the indirect object pronouns (to me, to you, to him, etc.). These include me/'m'; te/t'; lui; nous; vous; leur. These are used in sentences like, "Tu me le donnes," or, "Je te le dirai" ("You give it to me," or "I will tell you [it]").
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Learn the reflexive pronouns, which are used when someone or something is acting upon itself. These include me; te; se; nous; vous; se. These are used in constructions like "je m'appelle" ("my name is," or literally, "I call myself").
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Integrate the disjunctive pronouns, which have many uses, including their familiar place outside of verbal constructions, such as, "moi, je pense que..." ("me, I think that...") and "c'est moi/toi" ("it's me/you"). They are moi; toi; lui/elle/soi; nous; vous; eux/elles. These pronouns have a number of different uses, and more information can be found in the Resources section.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep your notes neat and collected together. Organizing notes by topic will help you find and make reference to them more easily at a later time. There are many other types of pronouns, such as possessive (mon, ton, etc.) and adverbial (en, y) pronouns. Focus on one area to start with, such personal pronouns, for best success.
