Unit 40: Personal pronouns - le as neutral pronoun

1 Referring back to sentence elements

When the object pronoun le is used to refer to parts of a sentence other than a noun , it is said to be a neutral pronoun. In this case it is often not translated by the equivalent neutral pronoun in English, it. The neutral pronoun le can refer to:

 

• an adjective

Autrefois Pierre était très timide, mais il ne l'est plus  

Pierre used to be very shy, but he isn't any longer

Cet étudiant est plus doué que je ne l'ai d'abord cru  

This student is more gifted than I first thought

 

• a past participle

Elle vient d'être sélectionnée pour un prix: elle ne l'a jamais été auparavant  

She has just been nominated for a prize: she never has been before

 

• a clause

Je peux garder les enfants. Dites-moi si vous le voulez avant le week-end  

I can look after the children. Tell me if you want me to before the week-end

 

2 Anticipating facts, ideas etc.

2.1 Use in French but not English

The neutral pronoun le is often used to anticipate a fact, idea, statement etc. when in English the equivalent word it is not normally used:

Comme vous le savez déjà, ...  

As you already know,...

Comme je vous l'ai déjà dit, ...  

As I have already told you,...

 

2.2 Use in English but not French

By contrast, in the same contruction sometimes le is not used where English does in fact use it:

Je trouve difficile de m'habituer à la vie à Paris  

I'm finding it hard to get used to living in Paris

 

Verb constructions acting like this include trouver, juger and estimer + adjective + que.

 

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