If you wanted to say "He/It killed them" and expressly mean it was people who were killed I believe you would say "Il eux a tue," because "eux" is the personal pronoun.

Hmm. It's been a long, LONG time since my French classes, but my recollection is that "eux" is a different type of pronoun than "les". She is right that "eux" usually is reserved for people, not animals and things, but it's not used interchangeably with "les" as in "them". It's the "they" equivalent of "moi" and "toi", and is used in a specific sort of setting, such as after c'est ___ . For example, you would say;

Il les a tué (it/he killed them), but not Il eux a tué.

However, you *would* say;

C'est eux qu'il a tué. (It's *them* he killed, for emphasis.)

Or to answer questions, e.g. Qui a tué Laura Palmer? Eux. (Who killed Laura Palmer? They did.)

Or, I could be be wrong, 'cause have I mentioned it having been really really long since my French classes?

Or, I could be be wrong, 'cause have I mentioned it having been really really long since my French classes?

You mean your drinking classes?

You mean your drinking classes?

Oh, my God, I wish. Stiff drinks would have improved those classes so much.

When I was in the second grade, my school district decided to start French classes in the second grade so we would all grow up speaking fluent French. Unfortunately, our teacher was not very good with kids, and we were not, in fact, very good kids. As a result, the only French I can remember is "Ferme la bouche!" The experiment only lasted one year.

That small amount of French did prove useful last summer when I was in France for a couple of weeks. The popular phrase at the time was "Ferme la Bush!" and I understood the joke.

Was it Hellish who coined "Wesley delenda est"?

That was Floyd Elliot, and it was during the period of Season 1 Angel when Wesley was bumbling and before he became cool through torture.

delurk

"Il eux a tue," because "eux" is the personal pronoun. If you were having a conversation and it was already understood that the "les" referred to people you would use that, if not I think you would use "eux."

"Il eux a tue" is not a coherent french sentence. I think the person is thinking of "il leurs a tue", (although I'm not entirely sure there should be an "s" at the end of leurs.)

And what Vonnie K. said back there - eux and les and leurs are different kinds of pronouns, which my grammar is not up to explaining, but "eux" would not go in that place in that sentence.

All that to say...uh, nothing much, really. Oh yeah, the distinction between "les" being generic, and "leurs" being specifically people, does hold up. Interesting thought.

Merciful HEAVEN, that's a cast. De Niro, Bates, Keitel, Byrne... holy Hannah.

Oh, right! Leurs. I'd forgotten about that pesky possessive pronoun that sometimes masquerades as something else. Sneeeeaky.

This show has thus far had me looking up the triangulation method, shoulder reduction techniques, and now, French grammar. It's actually, like, work, trying to keep up with the damn show.

Matthew Fox is on Ellen right now. AIFG

Toast and jam to note that Pierce Brosnan was also on Ellen so all in all a fine morning show.