To refer to "others" or "other people" in a broad, general sense, French uses the indefinite pronoun autrui. It is a formal word often found in moral or legal contexts, making it highly relevant to discussions of digital citizenship.
Autrui is invariable (it never changes form) and is grammatically singular, even though it translates to a plural concept.
Using autrui with prepositions
You will most frequently encounter autrui after prepositions like de (of), à (to), or envers (towards).
| You should always act with kindness towards others. | Tu devrais toujours agir avec bienveillance envers autrui. |
| Cyberbullying destroys the life of others. | Le cyberharcèlement détruit la vie d'autrui. |
| He publicly expresses his hatred towards others. | Il exprime publiquement sa haine envers autrui. |
Using autrui as a direct object
While less common, autrui can also function as a direct object. You will often see it paired with verbs that describe how one treats others, such as dénigrer (to denigrate) or insulter (to insult).
| A lot of people use anonymity to publicly denigrate others. | Beaucoup de gens utilisent l'anonymat pour dénigrer autrui publiquement. |
| On the other hand, it is forbidden to insult or denigrate others. | Par contre, il est interdit d'insulter ou de dénigrer autrui. |
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io