To talk naturally about people you need the little words that replace and describe them. This lesson covers object pronouns (me, te, le, la, lui, leur), the handy y and en, reflexive verbs (je me lave), all the ways to say no (ne…pas, ne…jamais, ne…rien) and the three ways to ask a question. These are the tools of the My personal world theme above all — family, friends and relationships — but you will reach for them in every Edexcel context.
Work through each screen and answer the questions as you go — some ask you to recognise the right form, some ask you to produce it by typing. Collect ⭐ stars and press Start.
The subject pronoun tells you who is doing the verb. In French you write it every time:
| je / tu | I / you (one friend) |
| il / elle / on | he / she / we-or-one |
| nous / vous | we / you (polite or plural) |
| ils / elles | they (m / f) |
Now the twist. When the person is the target of the action ("I see him", "I speak to her"), you need a different set — the object pronouns. That is what this lesson builds.
A direct object pronoun replaces the person or thing the verb acts on directly. In French it goes before the verb — the opposite of English:
| pronoun | meaning |
|---|---|
| me / te | me / you |
| le / la | him-it / her-it |
| nous / vous | us / you |
| les | them |
Position rule: je le vois = "I see him/it" — the pronoun sits just before the verb, never after. Do not say je vois le.
When the meaning is "to someone" (speak to, give to, say to), you use the indirect object pronouns. Two forms differ from the direct set: lui (to him/her) and leur (to them):
| pronoun | meaning |
|---|---|
| me / te | to me / to you |
| lui | to him / to her |
| nous / vous | to us / to you |
| leur | to them |
Same position, before the verb: je lui parle = "I speak to him/her"; je leur donne = "I give to them". English hides the "to", but French makes you choose the indirect pronoun.
French has two tiny pronouns with no neat English match. Both go before the verb like the others:
Handy shortcut: y replaces a place or an à + thing, and en replaces a de + thing or a quantity. Both attach to the front of the verb: j'y vais, j'en ai.
Reflexive verbs describe an action you do to yourself — washing, getting up, being called. Each person has a matching reflexive pronoun before the verb:
| je | je me lave |
| tu | tu te laves |
| il / elle | il se lave |
| nous | nous nous lavons |
| vous | vous vous lavez |
| ils / elles | ils se lavent |
Same shape for the family: se lever (to get up) and s'appeler (to be called) work the same way — je me lève, je m'appelle. The reflexive pronoun always matches the subject and sits before the verb.
French negation wraps the verb: ne goes before, and a second word goes after. Swap that second word to change the meaning:
| negative | meaning |
|---|---|
| ne … pas | not |
| ne … jamais | never |
| ne … rien | nothing |
| ne … plus | no longer |
| ne … personne | nobody |
| ne … que | only |
Wrap the verb: je ne fume jamais = "I never smoke". The ne hugs the front of the verb, the second word follows it.
Tap a French question word on the left, then tap its English meaning on the right.
Sort each pronoun into direct (acts on someone) or indirect (to someone).
French gives you three ways to turn a statement into a question — from casual to formal:
Add a question word for detail: qui (who), que (what), quand (when), où (where), pourquoi (why), comment (how), combien (how many), quel (which). E.g. Pourquoi tu es en retard ?
Once you can drop y and en in front of the verb, your French sounds much more natural:
Don't leave them out. English can say just "Yes, I am", but French needs the pronoun: j'y vais / j'en ai, never je vais on its own as the answer.
You now have the toolkit for talking about people naturally. Keep the moving parts in order:
Golden habit: whenever a person is the target of the verb, ask "direct or to-someone?" — that one question picks le vs lui every time.
Direct objects: me, te, le, la, nous, vous, les — before the verb (je le vois).
Indirect objects: me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur = "to …" (je lui parle, je leur donne).
y / en: y = there/to it (j'y vais); en = some/of it (j'en ai).
Reflexives: je me lave, tu te laves, il se lave, nous nous lavons, vous vous lavez, ils se lavent.
Negation: ne … pas / jamais / rien / plus / personne / que — wraps the verb.
Questions: intonation, est-ce que, or inversion; words qui, que, quand, où, pourquoi, comment, combien, quel.
These are the words that make people-talk flow. Press Finish to see your score.
You've built talking about people for Edexcel GCSE French. 🎉
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Next in the spine: Plans & opinions — the near future, modal verbs and giving your view. Then lock this in with the Evaluate confidence quiz.