elle
/ɛl/
In French, the English phrase 'her' is translated as elle.
The word elle is a pronoun used to refer to a female person or animal previously mentioned. While English uses different words for 'she' and 'her', French uses elle for both roles in many contexts.
Which one should you use?
Unlike English, which distinguishes between subject ('she') and object ('her') pronouns, French uses elle for both roles. However, when 'her' functions as a direct object, you generally use la to represent the feminine gender and when 'her' is an indirect object, the feminine form can be lui.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word elle serves as both the subject pronoun ('she') and the object pronoun ('her') in French.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɛl/
Did you know?
- If a group of people contains one hundred women and one man, French speakers use the masculine ils instead of elles to refer to them.
- While elle refers to a woman, it is also used for any feminine-gendered noun, such as 'a table' or 'a house', even if that object is not a person.
- The French word elle is a direct descendant of the Latin word illa, which was used to point out a specific person or object.
Examples in context
- Elle te manque ?Do you miss her?This sentence shows how to use elle as an object.Tatoeba #12003294 by lbdx, translation #3911934 by CH
- Danse avec elle !Dance with her!Tatoeba #4930427 by sacredceltic, translation #4931967 by robbieheslop
- Il est avec elle.He's with her.Tatoeba #8796054 by Julien_PDC, translation #8477620 by CH
- Je l'ai vue hier.I saw her yesterday.
- Je lui ai parlé.I spoke to her.
- 3881 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are talking about a friend named Chloé.
- LucasTu as vu Chloé ?Have you seen Chloé?
- EmmaOui, je suis avec elle.Yes, I am with her.
- LucasEst-ce qu'elle va bien ?Is she doing well?
- EmmaOui, elle est très heureuse.Yes, she is very happy.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry elle, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries elle, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
