By the end of this lesson you'll be able to rewrite a short text with pronouns in place of repeated nouns, choosing the right pronoun and putting it in the right place.
What you've learned
This unit has been about pronouns. Skim this list, and go back to anything that feels shaky.
- Stressed pronouns. Moi, toi, lui, eux and the others, from the lesson on stressed pronouns.
- Direct objects. Le, la, l' and les, from the lesson on direct object pronouns.
- Indirect objects. Lui and leur, from the lesson on indirect object pronouns.
- Y and en. From the lesson on the pronoun y and the lesson on the pronoun en.
- Quantities. From the lesson on expressions of quantity.
- In the past. The position and agreement, from the lesson on pronouns in the passé composé.
A few words for this review
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| remplacer | rahn-plah-SAY | to replace |
| le pronom | luh proh-NOHN | the pronoun |
| le nom | luh NOHN | the noun, the name |
| une phrase | ewn FRAHZ | a sentence |
Which pronoun?
Before you replace a noun, ask what's in front of it.
| In front of the noun | Pronoun |
|---|---|
| a preposition such as avec, pour, sans | stressed: moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles |
| nothing, or le / la / les / mon / ce | direct: le, la, l', les |
| à + a person | indirect: lui, leur |
| à + a place or a thing | y |
| du, de la, des, de, a number, or a quantity | en |
Then ask where it goes. In the present, it's before the verb. With aller, pouvoir or vouloir, it's before the infinitive. In the passé composé, it's before the auxiliary.
Finally, in the passé composé with avoir, ask whether the pronoun is a direct object that comes before the verb. If it is, the participle agrees.
A model rewrite
Here's a short text with a lot of repeated nouns.
Paul regarde le match. Paul aime le match. Paul téléphone à Marc. Paul parle à Marc. Hier, Paul a vu Marc au café. (Paul is watching the match. Paul likes the match. Paul phones Marc. Paul speaks to Marc. Yesterday, Paul saw Marc at the café.)
Here's the same text, line by line, with pronouns.
Paul regarde le match. Il l'aime.
Paul is watching the match. He likes it.
Il téléphone à Marc. Il lui parle.
He phones Marc. He speaks to him.
Hier, il l'a vu au café.
Yesterday, he saw him at the café.
The first Paul and the first le match stay, because the reader needs to know who and what you mean.
A second model
This one is about shopping, and it mixes the present and the past.
Marie va au marché. Elle y va le samedi.
Marie goes to the market. She goes there on Saturdays.
Elle veut des tomates. Elle en veut deux kilos.
She wants some tomatoes. She wants two kilos.
Elle a acheté la salade. Elle l'a prise au marché.
She bought the lettuce. She got it at the market.
Your turn
Take the paragraph below, and rewrite it on paper or in a notes app. Keep the first mention of each noun, and replace the others.
Léa téléphone à Anne. Léa parle à Anne. Léa va à Lyon. Léa va à Lyon le lundi. Léa a pris les billets. Léa a pris les billets hier. Léa a mangé du pain, et Léa a mangé du fromage. (Léa phones Anne. Léa talks to Anne. Léa goes to Lyon. Léa goes to Lyon on Mondays. Léa took the tickets. Léa took the tickets yesterday. Léa ate some bread, and Léa ate some cheese.)
Check your work
Go through your rewrite once for each question below.
- Is every pronoun before the conjugated verb, the infinitive, or the auxiliary?
- Does ne…pas wrap around the pronoun and the verb?
- With avoir, does the participle agree only with a direct object that comes before it?
- Did you use lui or leur for people after à, and y for places and things?
What's next
The next unit is about travel and plans. It starts with the lesson on travel and transport.