je
/ʒə/
In French, 'I' is expressed using the personal pronoun je. Wiktionary also lists moi.
Meaning: personal pronoun (pron)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| je | /ʒə/ /ʒ/ (informal) |
| moi | /mwa/ /mwe/ |
In certain formal contexts, some speakers may use on as a replacement for je to appear more modest or humble.
Which one should you use?
Use je as the subject of a verb. In contrast, use moi for emphasis or when the pronoun stands alone without a verb.
How does it change in a sentence?
The pronoun je is used only in the singular. The plural 'we' is expressed by nous or on. Additionally, je becomes j’ when it appears before a word starting with a vowel or a silent 'h'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒə/
Did you know?
- The French word je shares the same root as the English word 'ego', as both descend from the Latin 'egō'.
- In historical legal or royal documents, the plural nous was used instead of je to signal the speaker's high status.
- The contraction of je to j’ happens to avoid 'hiatus', a phonetic gap that French speakers find aesthetically jarring.
Examples in context
- Moi non plus !Neither am I!This sentence shows how to use moi to express agreement.Tatoeba #1156781 by sacredceltic, translation #1349966 by sacredceltic
- Je suis né là.I was born there.This sentence uses je as the subject of the verb 'to be'.Tatoeba #1246591 by sacredceltic, translation #1211854 by CM
- Je vis à Tokyo.I live in Tokyo.This sentence uses je as the subject of the verb 'to live'.Tatoeba #14429 by Aiji, translation #279745 by CK
- Je suis étudiant(e).I am a student.
- Moi, je suis ravi(e) de vous rencontrer.I am delighted to meet you.
- Je suis fatigué(e) aujourd'hui.I am tired today.
- On se retrouve demain, d'accord ?We'll meet tomorrow, alright?
- Je suis trop content(e) !I am so happy!
- Me, j'en ai assez de cette pluie.I've had enough of this rain.
- 14195 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are talking about their jobs.
- ManonJe travaille dans une banque.I work in a bank.
- LucasEt moi, je suis professeur.And as for me, I am a teacher.
- ManonC'est un métier passionnant !It's an exciting job!
- LucasOui, j'aime beaucoup mon travail.Yes, I like my work a lot.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I” translations and entries je, moi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries je, moi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
