ieu, tu, el, ela

Singular Subject Pronouns

Level 1

Ieu, tu, el and ela mean I, you, he and she.

How It Works

The four singular subject pronouns are ieu (I), tu (you, to one person you know well), el (he) and ela (she).

Pronounèsseraverparlar
ieusoiaiparli
tuèsasparlas
el, elaesaparla

Notice ès with tu and es with el and ela. The accent is part of the spelling.

The verb ending already shows who acts, so Occitan usually leaves the pronoun out. Say it when you want to stress the person: Ieu parli occitan, e tu? Use el or ela when it would not be clear who you mean. Polite you is vos; see the next entries.

Examples (5)

  1. Ieu soi de Tolosa.

    I am from Toulouse.

    Ieu puts the stress on the speaker.

  2. Tu vas a Albi.

    You are going to Albi.

    Tu takes vas.

  3. El demòra a Rodés.

    He lives in Rodez.

    El names the man; demòra is the he form.

  4. Ela es a l'ostal.

    She is at home.

    Ela and el both take es.

  5. Ieu parli occitan, e tu?

    I speak Occitan, and you?

    The pronouns contrast two people.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the Catalan word for I.

    Jo parli occitan.
    Ieu parli occitan.

    Occitan says ieu. Jo is Catalan.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ieu, tu, el, elaLevel 1Singular Subject Pronouns

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

ieutuelela