Language/French/Grammar/Use-of-stressed-pronouns-for-emphasis
To highlight or emphasize a pronoun a common strategy is to 'double up' by the addition of a stressed pronoun. This can be done with:
Subject pronouns
- Toi, tu le crois peut-être mais lui, il ne le croit pas
YOU might believe that, but HE doesn't
- Moi, je veux travailler ce soir, mais lui pas
I want to work this evening, but HE doesn't
The stressed subject pronoun copy may equally appear at the end of the clause with the same effect:
- Tu le crois peut-être, toi, mais il ne le croit pas, lui
Je veux travailler ce soir, moi, rais pas lui
When third person subject pronouns are highlighted or emphasized, the stressed pronoun alone may, on occasions, be used:
- Lui pourrait le faire
HE could do it
- Eux sauraient quoi dire
THEY would know what to say
This is not possible with first and second person pronouns:
- NOT *Moi pourrais le faire (but Moi, je pourrais le faire)
- NOT *Toi saurais quoi dire (but Toi, tu saurais quoi dire)
Only stressed pronouns and not unstressed subject pronouns can be separated from the tense-marked verb by adverbs or parenthetical expressions:
- Lui, souvent, critique son professeur (NOT *I1 souvent critique son professeur)
He often criticizes his professor
- Eux, par exemple, connaissent l'italien (NOT *Ils, par exemple, connaissent l'italien)
They, for example, know Italian
Object pronouns
A common strategy is to add a second, stressed pronoun at either the beginning or the end of the clause:
- Lui, on le sait innocent
HE is known to be innocent
- Elle se tient à l'écart, elle
SHE is keeping well out of it
- Il me parle à moi (et pas à toi)
He confides in ME (and not in you)
- Eux, on va leur demander de participer aux frais
We'll be asking THEM for a financial contribution
When the unstressed pronoun is an indirect object, the stressed pronoun being used to highlight it is preceded by à only when it is at the end of the clause:
- Nous, elle nous a souvent écrit or Elle nous a souvent écrit, à nous
She has often written to US
- Moi, cela me ferait plaisir or Cela me ferait plaisir, à moi
That would give ME pleasure
This 'doubling' of an unstressed pronoun by a stressed pronoun is also used to disambiguate ambiguous pronouns. In the following sentence leur is ambiguous between a masculine and a feminine interpretation:
- Simon leur a dit de partir
Simon told them to leave
But it can be disambiguated by the addition of stressed pronouns:
- Jean leur a dit à eux de partir
- Jean leur a dit à elles de partir