In French, the pronoun "lui" typically corresponds to the English pronoun "him" or "her," depending on the gender of the antecedent. Traditionally, "lui" is used to refer to masculine singular antecedents, while "elle" is used for feminine singular antecedents. However, there are cases where "lui" can be used to refer to a feminine antecedent, which might seem counterintuitive. For example: "Elle parle à sa sœur et lui dit quelque chose." (She talks to her sister and says something to her.) In this sentence, "sa sœur" (her sister) is a feminine antecedent, but the pronoun "lui" is used to refer back to it. "Il montre le livre à Marie et lui demande son avis." (He shows the book to Marie and asks her opinion.) Here, "Marie" is a feminine antecedent, yet "lui" is used to refer to her. So, while "lui" is typically associated with masculine antecedents, it can also be used with feminine antecedents in French. This flexibility allows for smoother and more natural-sounding language in certain contexts.
Merci beaucoup pour vos leçons !
Keep up the good work!!
I’ve got a question “et lui dit”
Can “Lui” be used referring to a sth feminine? I thought it was just for masculine
In French, the pronoun "lui" typically corresponds to the English pronoun "him" or "her," depending on the gender of the antecedent. Traditionally, "lui" is used to refer to masculine singular antecedents, while "elle" is used for feminine singular antecedents. However, there are cases where "lui" can be used to refer to a feminine antecedent, which might seem counterintuitive.
For example:
"Elle parle à sa sœur et lui dit quelque chose." (She talks to her sister and says something to her.)
In this sentence, "sa sœur" (her sister) is a feminine antecedent, but the pronoun "lui" is used to refer back to it.
"Il montre le livre à Marie et lui demande son avis." (He shows the book to Marie and asks her opinion.)
Here, "Marie" is a feminine antecedent, yet "lui" is used to refer to her.
So, while "lui" is typically associated with masculine antecedents, it can also be used with feminine antecedents in French. This flexibility allows for smoother and more natural-sounding language in certain contexts.