il/il/
pronoun · A1 · Frequency 19
pronounmasculine
Meanings
he; it
Third-person singular subject pronoun for masculine nouns or impersonal constructions.
Examples
Il prépare le dîner ce soir.
He is preparing dinner tonight.
Il fait froid dans cette pièce.
It is cold in this room.
Il reste encore du pain sur la table.
There is still some bread left on the table.
Collocations
- il est làhe is there
- il pleutit is raining
- il a dithe said
Common mistakes
Marie est là : il attend le bus.
Marie est là : elle attend le bus.
il refers to a male person or a grammatically masculine noun; when it refers to Marie, the feminine pronoun elle is required. il cannot be used generically for a female person as English pronouns sometimes are.
Related words
synonymil-mêmehimself
- antonymelleshe
Grammar note
Il is used as the third-person singular subject pronoun referring to a male person or masculine noun, and also in impersonal constructions.