What is an emphatic pronoun?
An emphatic pronoun is used instead of a noun when you want to emphasize something, for example Is this for me?
1 Using emphatic pronouns
- In French, there is another set of pronouns which you use after prepositions, when you want to emphasize something and in certain other cases. These are called emphatic pronouns or stressed pronouns.
| Singular | Meaning | Plural | Meaning |
| moi | I me | nous | we us |
| toi | you | vous | you |
| lui | he him | eux | they (masculine) them |
| elle | she her | elles | they (feminine) them |
| soi | oneself (yourself, ourselves) |
| Je pense souvent à toi. | I often think about you. |
| C’est pour moi? | Is this for me? |
| Venez avec moi. | Come with me. |
| Il a besoin de nous. | He needs us. |
- soi (meaning oneself) is used with the subject pronoun on and with words like tout le monde (meaning everyone) or chacun (meaning each one).
| Il faut avoir confiance en soi. | You have to have confidence in yourself. |
| Tout le monde est rentré chez soi. | Everyone went home. |
2 When to use emphatic pronouns
- Emphatic pronouns are used in the following circumstances:
- after a preposition
| C’est pour moi? | Is this for me? |
- for emphasis, especially where a contrast is involved
| Toi, tu ressembles à ton père, mais elle non. | You look like your father, she doesn’t. |
| Il m’énerve, lui! | He’s getting on my nerves! |
- on their own without a verb
| ‘Qui a cassé la fenêtre?’ – ‘Lui.’ | ‘Who broke the window?’ – ‘He did.’ |
| ‘Je suis fatiguée.’ – ‘Moi aussi.’ | ‘I’m tired.’ – ‘Me too.’ |
- after c’est and ce sont (meaning it is)
| C’est toi, Simon? | Is that you, Simon? |
| Ce sont eux. | It’s them. |
- in comparisons
| Tu es plus jeune que moi. | You’re younger than me. |
| Il est moins grand que toi. | He’s smaller than you (are). |
- when the subject of the sentence is made up of two pronouns, or of a pronoun and a noun
| Mon père et elle ne s’entendent pas. | My father and she don’t get on. |
Grammar Extra!You can add -même or -mêmes to the emphatic pronouns when you particularly want to emphasize something. These forms correspond to English myself, ourselves and so on.
| Form with -même | Meaning |
| moi-même | myself |
| toi-même | yourself |
| lui-même | himself, itself |
| elle-même | herself, itself |
| soi-même | oneself (yourself, ourselves) |
| nous-mêmes | ourselves |
| vous-même vous-mêmes | yourself yourselves |
| eux-mêmes | themselves (masculine) |
| elles-mêmes | themselves (feminine) |
| Je l’ai fait moi-même. | I did it myself. |
| Elle l’a choisi elle-même. | She chose it herself. |
Key points
- The French emphatic pronouns are: moi, toi, lui, elle, soi in the singular, and nous, vous, eux, elles in the plural.
- They are used:
- after a preposition
- for emphasis
- on their own without a verb
- after c’est and ce sont
- in comparisons
- when the subject of the sentence is made up of two pronouns, or of a pronoun and a noun
- You can add -même or -mêmes to the emphatic pronouns when you particularly want to emphasize something.