Why is Lui used in the following sentence?

Judy M.B1Kwiziq community member

Why is Lui used in the following sentence?

I don't understand the use of lui rather than il in this sentence. Paul est mon meilleur ami. Lui, seul comprend mes problèmes.
Asked 7 years ago
AurélieNative French expert teacher in Kwiziq
Bonjour Judy ! In this sentence, "lui" is the disjunctive/stress pronoun (moi, toi, elle, lui...) rather than the indirect object pronoun. It is usually used for emphasis, but this is the specific case when you use it in conjonction with "seul" to express "only he" : "Lui seul me comprend." (Only he understands me.) "Moi seul la comprend." (Only I understand her.) "Elle seule t'écoute." (Only she listens to you.) etc I hope that's helpful! À bientôt !

Why is Lui used in the following sentence?

I don't understand the use of lui rather than il in this sentence. Paul est mon meilleur ami. Lui, seul comprend mes problèmes.

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