French · Greetings & Essentials

"She" in French: elle

elle

Say it: elpronoun/ɛl/

She in French is elle before a verb: elle parle, elle est là. The stressed form is also elle: avec elle; elle, elle… for emphasis.

Talking about a coworker

Elle arrive toujours en avance.
She always arrives early.
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How to pronounce elle

Say it

el

/ɛl/

el. Open e as in bel; soft French l; final e light or silent in fast speech.

"She" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
elleshe / her (stressed)

Subject and stressed form.

elle estshe is

With être.

elle ashe has

With avoir.

avec ellewith her

After a preposition.

How to use elle in real life

  1. 1Talking about a coworker

    Elle arrive toujours en avance.

    She always arrives early.

    Elle + verb.

  2. 2Phone call

    Elle m'a dit qu'elle était en route.

    She told me she was on the way.

    Elle m'a dit.

  3. 3Plans

    Elle préfère le train à la voiture.

    She prefers the train to the car.

    Elle préfère.

Mistakes English speakers make with elle

Incorrect: Lui travaille ici. (for a woman as subject)

Correct: Elle travaille ici.

Subject pronoun for she is elle; lui is him/stressed he.

Incorrect: She est fatiguée.

Correct: Elle est fatiguée.

Use elle, not English she.

Good to know

French keeps grammatical gender: a car (la voiture) is elle. For people, Elle, elle… stresses contrast, just like Lui, il…

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Waiting for a friend

  1. ChatPal

    Elle est où, Sophie ?

    Where is she — Sophie?

  2. You

    Elle m'a écrit : elle est presque là.

    She texted me: she's almost here.

  3. ChatPal

    On l'attend devant.

    We'll wait for her out front.

  4. You

    D'accord.

    Okay.

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"She" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "She" in French

How do you say she in French?

Elle.

Is elle also her?

Yes after prepositions: avec elle.

Elle vs il?

Elle = she; il = he (or masculine it).

How do you pronounce elle?

el.

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