Language/French/Grammar/Position-of-subject-pronouns
In declarative sentences, subject pronouns normally appear immediately before the verb which carries the tense:
- Nous voulons voir le directeur
We want to see the manager
- Tu comprends vite
You catch on quick
- Elle a servi le vin chambré
She served the wine at room temperature
They can only be separated from this verb by the ne of negation, and by other pre-verbal pronouns:
- Elle ne prend pas de café
She's not having any coffee
- Tu Tas mangé
You ate it
- Vous ne le ferez pas
You won't do it
Unlike in English, subject pronouns cannot normally be separated from the verb by adverbials or parenthetical expressions:
- NOT Je souvent dîne avec Laura
I often dine with Laura
- NOT I1, paraît-il, ne prend pas de café
He, it seems, isn't having coffee
versus the grammatical Je dîne souvent avec Laura, Il ne prend pas de café, paraît-il.
In direct questions involving inversion, subject pronouns appear immediately after the verb which carries the tense:
- Sait-il nager? Can he swim?
- Est-elle arrivée? Has she arrived?
- Ont-ils mangé? Have they eaten?
When subject pronouns follow the verb in this way nothing else can intervene:
- Ne le croyez-vous pas? Don't you believe it?
- Ne le lui avez-vous pas donné? Didn't you give it to him?
- Dînent-ils souvent ensemble? Do they often dine together?