What are common mistakes with Les pronoms toniques?

Using subject pronouns after prepositions instead of stressed pronouns. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English uses object pronouns (me, him, her) after prepositions, which partly maps to French stressed pronouns, but the forms differ. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Russian uses case forms after prepositions. The concept of separate stressed pronouns doesn't exist, so learners use subject forms instead. 🇨🇿 Czech speakers: Czech uses declined pronoun forms after prepositions. Similar to Russian speakers, the separate stressed form concept is new.

Les pronoms toniques | French Grammar A1

Les pronoms toniques

A1 — Pronoms

Stressed pronouns: moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles

Can use stressed pronouns after prepositions and for emphasis

Stressed pronouns: moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles

Examples

Ce cadeau est pour toi et moi. — This gift is for you and me.
Moi, j'adore le chocolat. Et toi ? — Me, I love chocolate. And you?
C'est lui qui a raison, pas elle. — He's the one who's right, not her.

PronomsA1

Les pronoms toniques

Stressed pronouns: moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles

Learning Goal

Can use stressed pronouns after prepositions and for emphasis

Exam Skills:Production écriteProduction orale

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Ce cadeau est pour toi et moi.

This gift is for you and me.

Moi, j'adore le chocolat. Et toi ?

Me, I love chocolate. And you?

C'est lui qui a raison, pas elle.

He's the one who's right, not her.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

Les pronoms toniques (ou pronoms accentués) sont des formes fortes des pronoms personnels :

Sujet	Tonique	Exemple
je	moi	Moi, je suis français.
tu	toi	Et toi ?
il	lui	C'est lui.
elle	elle	Chez elle.
nous	nous	C'est pour nous.
vous	vous	Avec vous.
ils	eux	Chez eux.
elles	elles	Avec elles.

Quand utiliser les pronoms toniques ?

Après une préposition : avec moi, pour toi, chez lui
Pour insister : Moi, je n'aime pas ça.
Avec c'est : C'est moi ! C'est lui.
Réponses courtes : Qui veut du café ? — Moi !
Comparaisons : plus grand que toi

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Using subject pronouns after prepositions instead of stressed pronouns. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English uses object pronouns (me, him, her) after prepositions, which partly maps to French stressed pronouns, but the forms differ.

Common Error Patterns

Used subject pronoun instead of stressed pronoun after a preposition

After prepositions: moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles. Never *avec je or *pour tu.

Ce cadeau est pour toi et moi.

This gift is for you and me.

After prepositions (pour, avec, chez, etc.), use stressed pronouns: toi (not tu), moi (not je).

Moi, j'adore le chocolat. Et toi ?

Me, I love chocolate. And you?

Moi at the beginning adds emphasis. Et toi? is a common short question using stressed pronoun.

C'est lui qui a raison, pas elle.

He's the one who's right, not her.

C'est + stressed pronoun for identification. Lui (he/him), elle (she/her) are stressed forms.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course

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Frequently asked questions

When is Les pronoms toniques used?: Les pronoms toniques (ou pronoms accentués) sont des formes fortes des pronoms personnels :
What are common mistakes with Les pronoms toniques?: Using subject pronouns after prepositions instead of stressed pronouns. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English uses object pronouns (me, him, her) after prepositions, which partly maps to French stressed pronouns, but the forms differ. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Russian uses case forms after prepositions. The concept of separate stressed pronouns doesn't exist, so learners use subject forms instead. 🇨🇿 Czech speakers: Czech uses declined pronoun forms after prepositions. Similar to Russian speakers, the separate stressed form concept is new.