In the example when it says il pense à elle and it means he’s thinking of her. But in another example it says je parle de lui which means I speak of him. So de and à both mean of in these examples so I will as wondering when I would use à and when I would use de.
In this lesson, you'll see three cases in which stress pronouns (moi, toi, lui, elle, soi, nous, vous, eux, elles) are used in French.
In sentences, after prepositions (de, à, avec, derrière, pour etc)
- in comparisons, after que (plus/moins/aussi ....que),
- with the restriction ne... que (only), after que.
Case of soi
Soi is used to represent a universal "one[self]", in general statements or descriptions. It's the stress pronoun matching the general meaning of "on" (we/you/people) or the impersonal "il".
See also previous lessons Moi, toi, lui, elle = me, you, him, her (stress pronouns) and Nous, vous, eux, elles = us, you, them (stress pronouns)
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Q&A Forum 20 questions, 49 answers
You can't by go the English translation if you want to decide whether to use de or à. There are some verbs that ask for de and others for à. You just have to learn the preposition along with the verb.
ScottKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
It also depends on what you want to say.
"Je lui parle" = I talk to him (or her)
"Je parle de lui" = I speak of him
Katherine asked:View original
When to use de and à
In the example when it says il pense à elle and it means he’s thinking of her. But in another example it says je parle de lui which means I speak of him. So de and à both mean of in these examples so I will as wondering when I would use à and when I would use de.
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Kwiziq community member
Wrong translation (I think)
1. I think the translation of this sentence is wrong
On ne doit pas penser qu'à soi : One mustn't think only of oneself.
2.For me, it must be like this:
One must think only of oneself.
Asked 9 months ago
Hi H,
On ne doit penser qu'à soi
would be what you are suggesting , the pas makes it a negative meaning.
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
The negated verb is devoir, so it is "must not".
On doit penser à soi. -- One must think of oneself.
On ne doit penser pas à soi. -- One mustn't think of oneself.
On ne doit penser pas qu'à soi. -- One mustn't hink only of oneself.
JoanKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Is "On ne doit pas penser à soi." correct?
"Je ne veux pas travailler" .Why "veux travailler" is not placed in between "ne..pas" as "On ne doit penser pas à soi." do?
How should we place "ne...pas" in "verb+infinitive" structure?
DiegoKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
"On ne doit penser pas" is wrong. It'd be "On ne doit pas penser ...".
On doit penser à soi. -- One must think of oneself.
On ne doit pas penser à soi. -- One mustn't think of oneself.
On ne doit pas penser qu'à soi. -- One mustn't think only of oneself.
Finally, On doit penser qu'a soi means One should only think of oneself (or care for / look after oneself).
Halim asked:View original
Wrong translation (I think)
1. I think the translation of this sentence is wrong
On ne doit pas penser qu'à soi : One mustn't think only of oneself.
2.For me, it must be like this:
One must think only of oneself.
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JulieKwiziq community member
I have a question about the case of Soi
In one of the examples in the lesson, the sentence "Il faut toujours aider plus petit que soi" translates as "One must always help those smaller than oneself". Where do you get the word "those" from? Shouldn't there be another word between "aider" and "plus"? Like "les personnes" or something?
Asked 10 months ago
In this sentence "plus petit" is used as a noun and would literally translate as "the smaller (one)". The English translation which carries the same meaning as the French sentence doesn't follow the grammatical structure of the French sentence exactly.
More literally: One must always help the smaller (one) than oneself.
Julie asked:View original
I have a question about the case of Soi
In one of the examples in the lesson, the sentence "Il faut toujours aider plus petit que soi" translates as "One must always help those smaller than oneself". Where do you get the word "those" from? Shouldn't there be another word between "aider" and "plus"? Like "les personnes" or something?
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Shrey Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Bonjour Madame ! ‘Il pense à elle’. Can one write as- ‘Il lui pense.’ or is there some difference in these 2 phrases ? Merci en avance !
Asked 1 year ago
Hi Shrey,
There are some verbs of emotions when the indirect object cannot be replaced by the usual pronouns, verbs like 'songer à quelqu'un' , 'avoir recours à quelqu'un' , 'faire attention à quelqu'un', ...which come under the same rule as 'penser à quelqu'un' if there is one...
You could at a pinch replace by the pronoun 'y' but it is normally for things rather than people.
e.g.
J'ai beaucoup songé à elle ces derniers jours = I thought about her these last few days
Nous avons du avoir recours à eux = We have had to rely on them
Fais attention à elle! = Beware of her!
Hope this helps
Shrey asked:View original
Bonjour Madame ! ‘Il pense à elle’. Can one write as- ‘Il lui pense.’ or is there some difference in these 2 phrases ? Merci en avance !
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Hi Daly,
'Soi' is the emphatic/stress pronoun that relates to 'on', or an indeterminate entity as in :
Chacun pour soi = Every man for himself
En travailleur indépendant/freelance, c'est agréable par qu'on travaille pour soi = When you work freelance it's great because you work for yourself
You would only add même to emphasise :
On n'est jamais si bien servi que par soi-même = If you want something done right, do it yourself
Hope this helps!
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MichaelKwiziq community member
How to know when to use "soi" or "soi-même" to say "oneself"?
Asked 2 years ago
Bonjour Michael !
I agree that it's indeed quite a tricky point!
Indeed, after looking into it thoroughly, I can't really come up with a better explanation than "colloquial usage", which I admit is not really satisfying :)
I would say however that we will tend to use soi rather than soi-même after prepositions (devant, avec...) and with comparisons or after que in general.
Soi-même will more often be used to emphasise that you do the action yourself:
Il faut le faire soi-même.
I hope that's helpful!
Merci et bonne journée !
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BlixKwiziq community member
I apologize, here is the question:
An A2 question asks the french translation of "One must always look in front of oneself." I responded with "Il faut toujours regarder devant soi-même," and it was marked as incorrect. The correct answer was "Il faut toujours regarder devant soi." I am confused why one would not use "soi-même" for "oneself" in this instance.
MichaelKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
I think its because you need a stress pronoun after a preposition such as devant rather than stress+même.
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Aurélie and Laura have answered this very same question asked by a later poster.
-- Chris.
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CathyKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
When to appropriately use soi and soi-même? This lesson didn't address this issue.
Asked 2 years ago
Hi Cathy,
"soi-même" is "oneself" or "yourself" in English. For example:
"Pour l’apprendre aux autres il faut le savoir soi-même." -- To teach it to others one must knkow it oneself (or: you must know it yourself).
Or, in another example:
Il vaut mieux le faire soi-même. --It’s better to do it yourself.Does that help? -- Chris (not a native speaker).
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Check the later questions. Aurélie and Laura answered this question there.
-- Chris.
Cathy asked:View original
When to appropriately use soi and soi-même? This lesson didn't address this issue.
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HarrisKwiziq community member
I speak of her
I'm confused why "I speak of her" is "Je parle d'elle" as my first instinct would be to say "je l'en parle". What am I missing here?
Thanks.
Asked 2 years ago
Hi harris,
The French verb "parler" can have two pieces of information attached to it: with whom you speak and what you speak of. For example:
Je parle à Marie de son travail. -- I speak with Marie about her work.
You can now proceed to substitute pronouns for each of the two parts and it would go like this:
Je lui en parle. -- I speak with her about it.
The topic you speek about is always "de + (topic)". If you speak about her then it is "d'elle". The person you speak with is always an indirect object in French: "parler À quelqu'un". Therefore it goes like this:
Je te parle -- I speak with you.
Je lui parle -- I speak with him (or her; only context would tell).
Je vous parle -- I speak with them (or you; in a formal setting)
"Je l'en parle" is definitely incorrect.
Greetings, -- Chris (not a native speaker).
The French verb "parler" can have two pieces of information attached to it: with whom you speak and what you speak of. For example:
Je parle à Marie de son travail. -- I speak with Marie about her work.
You can now proceed to substitute pronouns for each of the two parts and it would go like this:
Je lui en parle. -- I speak with her about it.
The topic you speek about is always "de + (topic)". If you speak about her then it is "d'elle". The person you speak with is always an indirect object in French: "parler À quelqu'un". Therefore it goes like this:
Je te parle -- I speak with you.
Je lui parle -- I speak with him (or her; only context would tell).
Je vous parle -- I speak with them (or you; in a formal setting)
"Je l'en parle" is definitely incorrect.
Greetings, -- Chris (not a native speaker).
Hi Joan,
Indeed,
"Je lui parle d'eux" is correct for "I speak with him about them"...
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
...sorry, just to correct a typo:
Je vous parle -- I speak with you (either a group or a formal "tu")
JoanKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Hi Chris, if I want to say: "I speak with him about them", is it : "Je lui parle d'eux" ?
Thanks
Harris asked:View original
I speak of her
I'm confused why "I speak of her" is "Je parle d'elle" as my first instinct would be to say "je l'en parle". What am I missing here?
Thanks.
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JenniferKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
I find it difficult to know when soi versus soi-même is used.
Sometimes when the english meaning is oneself, I reach for soi-même but the correct choice is sometimes soi. Any hints please?
Asked 2 years ago
Ron Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Bonjour Jennifer,
Here are a few links that may help differentiate the issue for you. I am providing he links in lieu of copying and pasting the info:
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/soi-m%C3%AAme-lui-m%C3%AAme-elle-m%C3%AAme.331578/
http://www.languefrancaise.net/forum/viewtopic.php?id=6127
http://dictionnaire.reverso.net/francais-definition/soi-m%C3%AAme
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/french-english/soi-m%C3%AAme
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/french-english/soi
J'espère que ma réponse vous aiderait.
Bonne chance et bonne continuation dans vos études en français, la langue de Molière et qui a été utilisé par le monde français depuis l’époque d’Hugues Capet
Ron (a non-native speaker)
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Take the English sentence "One has to do it by one-self". In French this translates to "On doit le faire soi-même." The emphatic stress pronouns put emphasis on who is responsible for the action. You could say:
On doit le faire. -- One has to do it.
or
On doit le faire soi-même. -- One has to do it oneself.
In this case you always add "-même". "On doit le faire soi" is simply wrong because "soi" by itself is a reflexive pronoun (like "me", "se", etc.). To make it a stress pronoun, add the "-même". Here is an example, where "soi" is used in a pure reflexive sense and not as a stress pronoun (hence sans "-même"): On doit prendre soin de soi. (One has to take care of oneself).
I hope that helps, -- Chris (not a native speaker).
On doit le faire. -- One has to do it.
or
On doit le faire soi-même. -- One has to do it oneself.
In this case you always add "-même". "On doit le faire soi" is simply wrong because "soi" by itself is a reflexive pronoun (like "me", "se", etc.). To make it a stress pronoun, add the "-même". Here is an example, where "soi" is used in a pure reflexive sense and not as a stress pronoun (hence sans "-même"): On doit prendre soin de soi. (One has to take care of oneself).
I hope that helps, -- Chris (not a native speaker).
Jennifer asked:View original
I find it difficult to know when soi versus soi-même is used.
Sometimes when the english meaning is oneself, I reach for soi-même but the correct choice is sometimes soi. Any hints please?
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SusanKwiziq community member
Stress pronouns lui and elle.
I am still confused about the stress pronouns lui and elle. Is there a reason why lui is used as a stress pronoun with manquer (à), but elle is not?
Asked 2 years ago
Ron Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Bonjour Susan,
Of all the questions about advanced stress pronouns, this is possibly the most interesting because of the verb «manquer à» Let's look at this example.
Jean lui manque. --> She/he misses Jean If you recall, the noun and pronoun orders are reversed with the verb, hence the pronoun is actually the person who feels he/she is missing someone even though literally it would be stated Jean is missing to him. i.e. he misses Jean.
Now recalling that «to him» in French becomes à lui. Therefore the phrase becomes Jean lui manque.
And from the lesson:
Notice that stress pronouns are used in the following 3 cases:
- in sentences, after prepositions (de, à, avec, derrière, pour etc),
- in comparisons, after que (plus/moins/aussi ....que),
- with the restriction ne... que (only), after que.
I hope that this is useful and that I have answered and help clarify this for you.
Bonne chance.
SusanKwiziq community member
Thank you. That was exactly my understanding. However, in the A2 test that I took, the question said to translate, "She misses Jacques". I wrote "Jacques elle manque." That answer was marked incorrect, and the correct answer was given as, "Jacques lui manque." When I went back to the lesson on manquer (à), I saw that "elle" was not included in the list of stress pronouns to use before manquer. I thought there must be some special exception.
Ron Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Bonjour encore,
So here are the pronouns, notice I did not say stress pronouns, the one uses with manquer à,
Note that to introduce the person who it lacks to, you either use manquer à + name, or to use pronouns (i.e. I, you, he, we, they... miss), you will use the me/te/lui/nous/vous/leur before manquer.
I hope this helps clarify this. Obviously, elle is used as a stress pronoun, not as a regular pronoun, for that it become «lui».
Bonne chance.
LauraKwiziq team member
Bonjour Susan,
In "She misses Jacques," the pronoun that replaces "she" is not a stress pronoun, it's an indirect object pronoun, and the feminine indirect object pronoun is the same as the masculine: lui.
SusanKwiziq community member
Merci beaucoup !! I see now that it was my mistake in thinking that a stress pronoun was required in this structure.
Susan asked:View original
Stress pronouns lui and elle.
I am still confused about the stress pronouns lui and elle. Is there a reason why lui is used as a stress pronoun with manquer (à), but elle is not?
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Ron Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Bonjour David,
Alors, je ne comprends pas de tout en ce qui concerne votre question. Avez-vous eu une question?
Je pense à lui est une phrase exacte.
Bonne chance.
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ArashKwiziq community member
Should we say "Je lui pense" instead of "Je pense à elle"?
Asked 2 years ago
Ron Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Salut Arash,
In short, the answer is no. The reason is: je lui pense translates to "I think him", not I think of him. There is also a difference in whether the pronoun is a direct or indirect pronoun. In this case, "je pense à elle" penser à is a transitive verb which always requires a direct object.
***have in one's thoughts) penser à
⇒ What are you thinking? À quoi penses-tu?
to think positive thoughts penser à des choses positives
I hope this helps.
Ron
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William Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Prepositions after parler and penser.
Why “je parle de …” but “je pense à ….”?
Asked 3 years ago
GruffKwiziq team member
Hi William - unfortunately there are no rules when it comes to prepositions. They're one of the trickiest things to learn because you just have to learn each case by heart. This seems to be true for most languages.
Cordialement,
William asked:View original
Prepositions after parler and penser.
Why “je parle de …” but “je pense à ….”?
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KathyKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
À eux -vs- aux eux
Bonjour, I was surprised to see "Je pense à eux." in this lesson. Should it not be "aux eux" ? The other day I was chatting online with a French native, and when I wrote "dit bonjour à eux" he corrected me, saying to use "aux". Merci !
Asked 3 years ago
LauraKwiziq team member
Bonjour Kathy,
You would *never* say "aux eux" which is equivalent to saying "to/about the them." I don't know why your friend corrected you, but he was mistaken.
KathyKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Yes, makes sense. Strange... I will corner him on this one next time we chat :) Merci Laura !
AurélieKwiziq team member
Actually Kathy, to say "Say hi to them" in French, you'll say "Dis-leur bonjour (de ma part)" ;)
That might be what your friend told you...
KathyKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Yes, it seems we got our wires crossed. He agreed that "à eux" is very wrong! One would use "dis-leur bonjour". Merci à vous deux !
KathyKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Sorry... I meant it was wrong to use "aux eux". Ok enough from me!
Kathy asked:View original
À eux -vs- aux eux
Bonjour, I was surprised to see "Je pense à eux." in this lesson. Should it not be "aux eux" ? The other day I was chatting online with a French native, and when I wrote "dit bonjour à eux" he corrected me, saying to use "aux". Merci !
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DianeKwiziq community member
LUI/ ELLE: stress or indirect object pronoun after parler à?
I'm glad Stuart asked this. I'm confused too. Sadly I'm no further enlightened by the answer given here. If both stress pronouns and indirect object pronouns follow structures such as 'écrire à qqn', 'téléphoner à qqn' etc., how do we know whether to use 'elle' (stress pronoun) or 'lui' (indirect object pronoun)? Grateful for more clarification. Many thanks.
Asked 3 years ago
LauraKwiziq team member
Bonjour Diane,
Indirect object pronouns do not follow écrire à and téléphoner à. Once there's a preposition involved that precedes the pronoun, you automatically need the stressed pronoun.
The indirect object pronoun can *only* precede a verb, e.g., Je lui ai donné le livre.
Diane asked:View original
LUI/ ELLE: stress or indirect object pronoun after parler à?
I'm glad Stuart asked this. I'm confused too. Sadly I'm no further enlightened by the answer given here. If both stress pronouns and indirect object pronouns follow structures such as 'écrire à qqn', 'téléphoner à qqn' etc., how do we know whether to use 'elle' (stress pronoun) or 'lui' (indirect object pronoun)? Grateful for more clarification. Many thanks.
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StuartKwiziq community member
I'm stuck with when 'lui' means he *or* she ...
... and times when lui only means he and I must use elle for she. 'I speak of her' in a recent test used 'elle', which I thought should have been 'lui..'
Asked 3 years ago
LauraKwiziq team member
Bonjour Stuart,
Lui is two different kinds of pronouns.
When it's a stressed pronoun, it only means him, because there's a feminine stressed pronoun: elle. Lesson: Moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles (advanced stress pronouns)
When it's an indirect object pronoun, it can mean him or her because there is no separate feminine pronoun. Lesson: Replacing people with lui, leur = him, her, them (indirect object pronouns)
In "I speak of her," her is the object of the pronoun of and therefore must be translated by the stressed pronoun elle, not the indirect object lui.
HelenKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Laura--
I really appreciate your explanations. I came here because I'm trying to understand why lui is used in this sentence:
"Tu lui a fait confiance" (You trust him) Is this because faire is followed by à or any other reason?
Stuart asked:View original
I'm stuck with when 'lui' means he *or* she ...
... and times when lui only means he and I must use elle for she. 'I speak of her' in a recent test used 'elle', which I thought should have been 'lui..'
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YellamarajuKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Paulette n'aime que lui! (Paulette loves only him!). Is it necessary to use negative 'ne'
Disjunctive/stress pronouns Lesson
Asked 4 years ago
LauraKwiziq team member
Bonjour Yellamaraju,
Ne ... que means "only," so yes - you need ne for this meaning.
Yellamaraju asked:View original
Paulette n'aime que lui! (Paulette loves only him!). Is it necessary to use negative 'ne'
Disjunctive/stress pronouns Lesson
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