Breakdown of Je suis inquiet pour lui.
être
to be
pour
for
lui
him / to him / to her (indirect object)
inquiet
worried
Questions & Answers about Je suis inquiet pour lui.
Since the current lesson is about the subjunctive with emotions, why isn't the subjunctive used here?
The subjunctive is only triggered when you have an expression of emotion followed by que and a new subject (for example, Je suis inquiet qu'il soit malade). Because this sentence just ends with a preposition and a pronoun (pour lui) without a second verb, the subjunctive rule doesn't apply.
Why use pour for "about"? Wouldn't it be sur or de?
Why is it lui instead of il or le?
Because it comes immediately after a preposition (pour). In French, you must use a stressed pronoun (like moi, toi, lui, elle) after prepositions. Il is a subject pronoun, and le is a direct object pronoun that must go right next to a verb.
How would this sentence change if a woman were saying it?
Learn Je suis inquiet pour lui and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free