French conjugation explanation
French pronouns treated as singular
<p>Several indefinite pronouns in French always take the <strong>third-person singular</strong> verb form (conjugated like <span style="font-style: italic;">il</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">elle</span>), even though they refer to more than one person or a group of people.</p>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">On (= we)</div>
<p>The pronoun <strong style="font-style: italic;">on</strong> is extremely common in modern spoken French. While it usually means "we" (replacing <span style="font-style: italic;">nous</span>), it is grammatically singular.</p>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence"><strong>On</strong> <span class="green_emphasis">mange</span> pour vivre. (<span style="font-style: italic;">We eat so we can live.</span>)</div>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence"><strong>On</strong> <span class="green_emphasis">va</span> au cinéma. (<span style="font-style: italic;">We are going to the movies.</span>)</div>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence_note">Even though "we" are going, the verb <span style="font-style: italic;">aller</span> is conjugated as <span style="font-style: italic;">il va</span>.</div>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Tout le monde (= everyone)</div>
<p>The expression <strong style="font-style: italic;">tout le monde</strong> corresponds to "everyone" or "everybody". Literally, it means "all the world". Since "the world" (<span style="font-style: italic;">le monde</span>) is singular, the verb must also be singular.</p>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence"><strong>Tout le monde</strong> <span class="green_emphasis">peut</span> le faire. (<span style="font-style: italic;">Everyone can do it.</span>)</div>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence"><strong>Tout le monde</strong> <span class="green_emphasis">est</span> là. (<span style="font-style: italic;">Everyone is here.</span>)</div>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Personne & Quelqu'un (= nobody & someone)</div>
<p>The negative pronoun <strong style="font-style: italic;">personne</strong> (no one/nobody) and the indefinite pronoun <strong style="font-style: italic;">quelqu'un</strong> (someone/somebody) also behave like third-person singular subjects.</p>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence"><strong>Personne</strong> ne <span class="green_emphasis">parle</span> avec moi. (<span style="font-style: italic;">Nobody talks to me.</span>)</div>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence"><strong>Quelqu'un</strong> <span class="green_emphasis">a</span> téléphoné ? (<span style="font-style: italic;">Did someone call?</span>)</div>
<p>In the following conjugation tables, the verb form used for these pronouns is highlighted in the
<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/25/" target="_blank">Present Indicative</a>
(the <span style="font-style: italic;">il/elle/on</span> form):</p><div class="study_conjugations_tense_container">
<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label tense_box no_dark_mode " href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/25/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Présent</a>
<div class="study_conjugations_conjugation conjugations_table two_columns">
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
je
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">vais<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
tu
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">vas<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
il
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">va<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
nous
</span>allons
</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
vous
</span>allez
</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
ils
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">vont<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_tense_container">
<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label tense_box no_dark_mode " href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/25/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Présent</a>
<div class="study_conjugations_conjugation conjugations_table two_columns">
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
je
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">peux<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
tu
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">peux<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
il
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">peut<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
nous
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">pouvons<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
vous
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">pouvez<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
ils
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">peuvent<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>