elles/ɛl/
pronoun · A1 · Frequency 57
pronounfeminine
Meanings
they
Used for a group of female persons or for multiple feminine nouns.
them (feminine plural) as a stressed/disjunctive pronoun
Used for emphasis, contrast, or after prepositions, as in `avec elles`.
Examples
Elles arrivent avant le début du cours.
They arrive before the class begins.
Elles travaillent ensemble dans le même laboratoire.
They work together in the same laboratory.
Je compte sur elles pour organiser la réunion.
I am counting on them to organize the meeting.
Collocations
- elles sont partiesthey (female) left
- avec elleswith them (female)
- elles parlent françaisthey (female) speak French
Common mistakes
Je vois elles dans la rue.
Je les vois dans la rue.
Elles is a stressed pronoun and cannot directly be the object of voir; to mean “I see them,” use the direct object pronoun les.
Related words
- synonymilsthey (masculine)
synonymelles-mêmesthemselves (female)
Grammar note
Elles is used as a feminine plural subject pronoun and disjunctive object pronoun, agreeing in gender and number with the feminine plural noun or referent.