A stressed pronoun is a pronoun form used when the pronoun stands alone, follows a preposition, or receives emphasis. English uses forms such as me, him, her, us, and them in some of these positions.
French uses a parallel set of stressed pronouns, including moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, and elles. They differ from subject pronouns such as je, tu, and il.
Stressed pronoun forms
The stressed form depends on both the subject form and its meaning:
| Subject pronoun | Stressed pronoun | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | moi | me |
| tu | toi | you |
| il | lui | him |
| elle | elle | her |
| on (general meaning) | soi | oneself |
| on (meaning we) | nous | us |
| nous | nous | us |
| vous | vous | you |
| ils | eux | them |
| elles | elles | them |
Some forms stay the same, while others change completely. Nous, vous, elle, and elles have the same written form in both sets.
A stressed pronoun can stand on its own when the rest of the meaning is already clear:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Moi. | Me. |
| Pas lui. | Not him. |
| Elle aussi. | Her too. |
| Et toi ? | And you? |
Soi usually refers to a general or indefinite person rather than to one specific person. It appears in expressions such as chez soi and pour soi.
Stressed pronouns after prepositions
A pronoun after a preposition normally takes a stressed form. Subject forms such as je, tu, and il cannot appear in this position.
The basic pattern is:
preposition + stressed pronoun
Prepositions such as avec, pour, sans, chez, and de combine with stressed pronouns:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| avec moi | with me |
| pour toi | for you |
| chez lui | at his place |
| sans elle | without her |
| avec nous | with us |
| pour vous | for you |
| chez eux | at their place |
| près d'elles | near them |
A stressed pronoun keeps the same form after a preposition in a complete sentence:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Elle vient avec moi. | She is coming with me. |
| Ce cadeau est pour lui. | This gift is for him. |
| Nous dînons chez eux. | We are having dinner at their place. |
| Il part sans elle. | He is leaving without her. |
Stressed pronouns for emphasis and contrast
A stressed pronoun can highlight one person or contrast that person with someone else. The regular subject pronoun still appears with the conjugated verb.
For emphasis, the stressed pronoun can appear before the normal subject pronoun and verb:
stressed pronoun + subject pronoun + verb
The stressed form often appears at the beginning of the sentence:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Moi, je préfère rester. | I prefer to stay. |
| Toi, tu connais Paris. | You know Paris. |
| Lui, il travaille demain. | He is working tomorrow. |
| Elle, elle reste ici. | She is staying here. |
| Eux, ils partent ce soir. | They're leaving tonight. |
The stressed pronoun draws attention to the person, while the subject pronoun performs its normal grammatical role with the verb.
Stressed forms can also create a direct contrast:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Moi, j'aime le café, mais lui, il préfère le thé. | I like coffee, but he prefers tea. |
| Nous, nous restons ici, mais eux, ils partent. | We're staying here, but they're leaving. |
| Elle travaille aujourd'hui, mais pas moi. | She's working today, but I'm not. |
Stressed pronouns after c'est and ce sont
French uses stressed pronouns after c'est and ce sont to identify people.
The singular pattern is:
c'est + stressed pronoun
The singular expression c'est combines with several stressed pronouns:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| C'est moi. | It's me. |
| C'est toi. | It's you. |
| C'est lui. | It's him. |
| C'est elle. | It's her. |
| C'est nous. | It's us. |
| C'est vous. | It's you. |
Standard written French uses this pattern with the third-person plural forms:
ce sont + stressed pronoun
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Ce sont eux. | It's them. |
| Ce sont elles. | It's them. |
Everyday speech also commonly uses c'est eux and c'est elles.
These constructions identify a person or group directly, so French uses the stressed pronoun rather than the corresponding subject form.
From learning to practice
Listen for stressed pronouns when people identify themselves, respond to questions, talk about other people, or contrast one person's plans with another's. Expressions with avec, pour, and chez also provide frequent examples of moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, and elles in everyday conversation.