French word

je

Pronunciation

IPA/ʒə/

Meaning

  • pronounI

Example

Demain, je partirai tôt.

Tomorrow, I will leave early.

Illustration for je (I)

More examples

Aujourd'hui, je ne sais pas quoi dire.

Today, I don't know what to say.

Core concept

A small grammatical marker that puts the speaker at the center of an action, state, or opinion.

Common phrases

  • je suis

    I am

  • je ne sais pas

    I don't know

  • je m'appelle

    my name is ___

Similar words

tu: A second-person singular subject pronoun used with a familiar person.
il: A third-person singular subject pronoun for another person or an object.
on: A third-person singular subject pronoun meaning people generally or, informally, we.
nous: A first-person plural subject pronoun for the speaker and others, common in formal writing.

Definition in French

Indique la personne qui parle, et s'emploie pour exprimer une action, un état ou une opinion du locuteur.

Word origin

The pronoun je developed from Latin ego through Romance sound changes and medieval French forms including jo and jeo.

Usage tips

  • Je becomes j' before a vowel or mute h, as in j'arrive and j'habite.

Word lists with this word