elle
/ɛl/
The English word "she" is translated into French as elle.
The pronoun 'elle' is used for both human females and feminine-gendered objects or animals.
Meaning: person (pron)
Which one should you use?
While 'she' in English refers only to people, 'elle' is used for any noun with a feminine grammatical gender, such as 'la table' (the table).
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form 'elles' is used specifically for a group consisting entirely of females or feminine-gendered objects.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɛl/
Did you know?
- If a group contains one single male and many females, the pronoun switches from elles to the masculine ils, completely ignoring the female majority.
- French has a special 'inclusive' writing style called écriture inclusive that sometimes mixes elle and il using a middle dot to avoid choosing one gender.
- The word elle is derived from the Latin word illa, which was the feminine form of ille.
Examples in context
- Elle a aimé ?Did she like it?This sentence is useful for asking if a person using elle liked something.Tatoeba #3273806 by nimfeo, translation #3273803 by CM
- Elle est là ?Is she here?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of a person using elle.Tatoeba #5240661 by Iriep, translation #5268685 by Ricardo14
- Elle a 31 ans.She is thirty-one.This sentence is useful for stating the age of a person using elle.Tatoeba #133891 by nimfeo, translation #310161 by xtofu80
- Elle est drôle et sympathique.She is funny and friendly.
- Tu as vu cette photo d'elle ?Did you see this picture of her?
- J'admire celle-là pour son talent artistique.I admire that one for her artistic talent.
- Hé, elle arrive bientôt.Hey, she's coming soon.
- 14753 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Emma are looking for a friend in a cafe.
- GabrielOù est Marie ?Where is Marie?
- EmmaElle est dans le jardin.She is in the garden.
- GabrielEst-ce qu'elle est seule ?Is she alone?
- EmmaNon, elle lit un livre.No, she is reading a book.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “she” translations and entries 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.
