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personne
/pɛʁ.sɔn/
person
Il n'y a personne dans la pièce.
There's no one in the room.
neutral
a human being; an individual
Chaque personne a droit à la dignité.
Every person has the right to dignity.
C'est une personne très gentille.
She/he is a very kind person.
Used for both men and women; no gender distinction.
neutral
nobody; no one (as a pronoun)
Personne ne sait la réponse.
No one knows the answer.
Il n'y a personne ici.
There's no one here.
Requires negation (ne...pas, ne...rien, etc.) in sentences.
Collocations
une personne âgéean elderly personune personne handicapéea disabled personune personne moralea legal entity
Synonyms
Pro Tip
Negation with 'personne'
Remember that 'personne' as a pronoun requires 'ne' in negation: 'Personne ne vient' = 'No one is coming'. Omitting 'ne' is considered incorrect in standard French.
Gold Rule
Distinguish 'personne' as noun vs pronoun
As a noun, 'personne' means 'person' (e.g., 'une personne'). As a pronoun, it means 'nobody' and requires negation (e.g., 'Personne ne sait').
Word Origin
From Old French *personne*, from Latin *persona* ('mask, character, person'), possibly via Etruscan *phersu*.
Usage Notes
In modern French, 'personne' is used for both singular and plural contexts (e.g., 'les personnes' = 'people'). The plural form is more common in formal contexts.
Dictionnaire Français-Anglais