French · Greetings & Essentials
"He" in French: il
il
He in French is il before a verb: il parle, il est là. Il also introduces weather and time: il pleut, il est deux heures. Stressed form is lui.
Pointing someone out
Il habite juste à côté.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce il
Say it
eel
/il/
eel. Short vowel; soft French l. Do not add an English h sound.
"He" in French: quick reference
| French | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| il | he / it (masc.) Subject pronoun. | Subject pronoun. |
| lui | him / he (stressed) Avec lui; lui, il… | Avec lui; lui, il… |
| il est | he is / it is With être. | With être. |
| il a | he has With avoir. | With avoir. |
How to use il in real life
- 1Pointing someone out
Il habite juste à côté.
He lives right next door.
Il + verb.
- 2Waiting
Il arrive dans cinq minutes.
He'll arrive in five minutes.
Il arrive.
- 3Talking about a friend
Il adore cuisiner le week-end.
He loves cooking on weekends.
Il adore.
Mistakes English speakers make with il
Incorrect: Lui habite ici.
Correct: Il habite ici. / Lui, il habite ici.
Subject before the verb is il; lui is stressed.
Incorrect: He est fatigué.
Correct: Il est fatigué.
Use il, not English he.
Good to know
French weather always uses il: il fait beau. For people, Il, il… adds contrast. Pets and objects take il/elle by grammatical gender.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Waiting for a friend
ChatPal
Il est où, Marc ?
Where is he — Marc?
You
Il m'a écrit : il est dans le métro.
He texted me: he's on the metro.
ChatPal
On l'attend ici alors.
We'll wait for him here then.
You
Oui, près de la sortie.
Yes, near the exit.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"He" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "He" in French
How do you say he in French?
Il.
When do I use lui?
For stress or after prepositions: avec lui.
Why il pleut?
Weather and time use impersonal il.
How do you pronounce il?
eel.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
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