ils or vous

Patricia C.A1Kwiziq community member

ils or vous

why is "Hugo et toi"  vous and not ils?

Asked 2 years ago
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor Correct answer

It's the same in English. Would you say:

(a) Hugo and you, you're coming with me! -- Hugo et toi, vous m'accompagnez! (correct)
(b) Hugo and you, they are coming with me! -- Hugo et toi, ils m'accompagnent! (wrong)

Using second person plural, you are addressing a group of people. Third person plural would mean that you are talking about a group of people with someone separate from the group:

(c) Hugo et Marie, ils m'accompagnent. Toi, tu restes ici. -- Hugo and Marie, they are coming with me. You stay here. (correct)

Jim J.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Hi Patricia,

Hugo represents a grammatical third-person singular.

Toi represents a grammatical second-person singular. 

So together they need to be expressed as "vous" - (all of you). They cannot be represented by "Ils" because this is a group of grammatical third-person plural.

Hope this helps.

Jim

ils or vous

why is "Hugo et toi"  vous and not ils?

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