Personnellement

Personnellement is a French adverb meaning personally or in person. It is used to express the speaker’s own opinion or to indicate that an action is carried out by oneself rather than by someone else. The word can introduce a personal stance, a subjective judgment, or a direct statement about one’s own involvement.

Etymology and form: personnellement is derived from the adjective personnel, meaning personal or related to a person, plus the adverbial suffix -ment. The root personnel ultimately traces to Latin persona, meaning a “mask” or “person.” The adverbial form parallel to other French -ment adverbs formed from adjectives.

Usage: In everyday and formal French, personnellement commonly precedes the clause it introduces or appears at the beginning of a sentence. Examples include: “Personnellement, je préfère rester à la maison,” “Il est venu personnellement pour présenter ses excuses.” The expression highlights authority, responsibility, or perspective tied to the speaker or to an individual’s direct action.

Notes: While often used to contrast personal view with others’ opinions, the word is not interchangeable with “en personne,” which emphasizes physical presence rather than subjective stance. The related noun “personnel” exists in another sense, meaning staff or personnel.

See also: personnel (adjective and noun), -ment (French adverbial suffix), en personne.