The Speaker

When language is being used, there is usually someone "speaking". They may be using their mouth as in oral languages, their hands and other gestures as in sign languages, or even typing as one does while texting. In fact even this text that has been typed long before you started reading it has a speaker! Me! I am the speaker in this document.

The Listener

When there is a speaker, there's also someone "listening". Right now, it's you who is reading this text.

Changing Roles

The speaker is not a fixed role. The listener is also not a fixed role. The people in a conversation change between listening and speaking.

— Je m'appelle Wang. Comment tu t'appelles?

— Je m'appelle Claire.

In the first dialogue, Wang is the speaker and Claire is the listener. But in the second, Claire is the speaker and Wang is the listener.

Speaker Speaking about Speaker

— Je m'appelle Wang. Comment tu t'appelles?

— Je m'appelle Claire.

Wang says je to talk about himself. Likewise, Claire says je when she is the speaker and the "topic" of her sentence.

Let's simplify our sentences.

— J' aime les pommes. Tu aimes les pommes?

— Je n'aime pas les pommes.

Je (or the shorter J') is used when the speaker speaks about the speaker

Speaker speaking about the listener

When Wang wants to know if his listener, Claire likes apples, he uses tu to indicate her.

We see a similar use of tu in many questions.

— Comment tu t'appelles ?

— Tu as quel âge ?

— Tu habites où ?

— Tu aimes les fraises ?

Speaking about another

Let's say Martin joins them.

So Wang would say to Claire

— Il s'appelle Martin

So when the speaker, Wang is not talking about himself (the speaker) or Claire (the listener), he uses il.

— Elle s'appelle Claire

Wang talks to Martin once he is closer. But now, he is talking about Claire and uses elle because she is feminine.

It is also possible that Wang uses the name to talk about Claire.

— Claire n'aime pas les pommes.

So in these dialogues, the speaker remains the same, but the listener changes and so does the "topic".

Examples

Bonjour ! Je m'appelle Léa. J'ai neuf ans. J'aime les fraises avec de la crème fraîche. Mais je n'aime pas le croissant.

Lea a neuf ans. Elle aime les fraises avec de la crème fraîche. Mais elle n'aime pas le croissant.

Salut ! Je m'appelle Marc. J'aime les pommes et les croissants. Je n'aime pas la baguette. J'habite à Paris.

Marc aime les pommes et les croissants. Il n'aime pas la baguette. Il habite à Paris.

Bonsoir ! J'adore les fraises avec le chocolat. Je parle français, tamoul et anglais. Les baguettes, je n'aime pas !

les fraises. français, tamoul et anglais. les baguettes.