Guide to Personal Pronouns – TOEIC® Preparation
Flow Exam team
In English grammar, personal pronouns represent either the speaker (first person), the person being addressed (second person), or the person or thing being mentioned (third person).
The English language distinguishes between two fundamental types of personal pronouns:
- Subject Pronouns
- I, you, he, she, it, we, they
- Object Pronouns
- me, you, him, her, it, us, them
These pronominal forms change according to grammatical person (1st, 2nd, 3rd), number (singular or plural), and sometimes gender (masculine or feminine).
1. Subject Pronouns
Subject pronouns are placed before the conjugated verb to designate the agent performing the expressed action.
| Pronoun | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | Je | I work from home every day. (Je travaille de chez moi tous les jours.) |
| You | Tu / Vous | You seem tired today. (Tu sembles / Vous semblez fatigué(e) aujourd'hui.) |
| He | Il (masculine person) | He enjoys reading novels. (Il aime lire des romans.) |
| She | Elle (feminine person) | She works in Paris. (Elle travaille à Paris.) |
| It | Il / Elle (thing, animal, concept) | It seems complicated. (Cela semble compliqué.) |
| We | Nous | We plan to move next month. (Nous prévoyons de déménager le mois prochain.) |
| They | Ils / Elles | They attend the meeting every Monday. (Ils / Elles assistent à la réunion chaque lundi.) |
Key Points to Remember:
- In English, the pronoun "I" is always capitalized, regardless of its position in the sentence.
- The pronoun "you" functions for both singular and plural, without formal distinction.
- The pronoun "it" primarily refers to an object, an animal, or an abstract notion, but also serves as an impersonal grammatical subject (e.g., It is snowing).
- The pronoun "they" refers to a group of people (ils/elles), multiple objects, or several animals. It can also serve as a neutral pronoun to refer to a person without specifying their gender.
- In English, subject redundancy is avoided in a single clause:
- ❌ My colleague and I, we finished the report yesterday
- ✅ My colleague and I finished the report yesterday
- ✅ We finished the report yesterday
Particular use of one / ones
In a formal or literary register, the pronoun "one" is used to express a general truth or an impersonal situation.
- One must respect the rules in a professional environment. (On doit respecter les règles dans un environnement professionnel.)
- One cannot predict every outcome. (On ne peut pas prévoir tous les résultats.)
- If one studies regularly, one improves quickly. (Si on étudie régulièrement, on progresse rapidement.)
However, in casual conversation, native speakers generally prefer "you" instead of "one".
2. Object Pronouns
Object pronouns appear after the conjugated verb or after a preposition. Their role is to replace the noun phrase that receives the action or that is introduced by a preposition.
| Pronoun | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Me | Me / Moi | Could you send me the document? (Pourrais-tu m'envoyer le document ? / Pourriez-vous m'envoyer le document ?) |
| You | Te, toi / Vous | I'll contact you next week. (Je te contacterai la semaine prochaine. / Je vous contacterai la semaine prochaine.) |
| Him | Lui, le | She met him at the conference. (Elle l'a rencontré à la conférence.) |
| Her | Elle, la / Lui | They thanked her for her help. (Ils l'ont remerciée pour son aide.) |
| It | Le, la / L' | I need it urgently. (J'en ai besoin de toute urgence.) |
| Us | Nous | He explained us the procedure. (Il nous a expliqué la procédure.) |
| Them | Leur, les | She doesn't recognize them. (Elle ne les reconnaît pas.) |
Key Points to Remember
- "You" keeps the same form for singular and plural, meaning "te," "toi," or "vous" depending on the context of utterance.
- "It" exclusively replaces an object, an animal, or an abstract concept, never a human being.
- I bought a new laptop → I bought it.
- "Them" refers to a group of people, objects, or animals.
- I contacted the managers → I contacted them.
Other Pronoun Lessons
- 🔗 Overview of Pronouns for the TOEIC®
- 🔗 Guide to Interrogative Pronouns for the TOEIC®
- 🔗 Guide to Indefinite Pronouns for the TOEIC®
- 🔗 Guide to Reciprocal Pronouns for the TOEIC®
- 🔗 Guide to Reflexive Pronouns for the TOEIC®
- 🔗 Guide to Relative Pronouns for the TOEIC®
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