What is the difference between chaque and chacun?

Chaque is an adjective and must be followed by a singular noun: chaque jour, chaque personne. Chacun is a pronoun and stands alone: chacun a son avis. English each covers both, which is why the distinction has to be made deliberately.

Does chaque have a plural form?

No. Chaque is always singular, and both chaques and chaque plus a plural noun are impossible. When you need a plural, use tous les or toutes les: tous les élèves, toutes les semaines.

How do I say every two weeks in French?

Toutes les deux semaines. Chaque cannot take a number, so intervals of more than one unit use tous les or toutes les with the plural noun: tous les trois jours, toutes les dix minutes.

Is it chacun son or chacun leur?

Both are correct. Chacun a son avis follows the singular pronoun; ils ont chacun leur avis follows the plural subject. Son is the safer default when chacun is the subject on its own.

How do I say each of us in French?

Chacun de nous or chacun d'entre nous, with a singular verb: chacun de nous a une part de responsabilité. Use d'entre before pronouns and de before nouns: chacun des participants.

French grammar · Intermediate

Chaque vs. Chacun: How to Say Each and Each One in French

Written by Camille Laurent, Lead French Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Chaque is an adjective and needs a singular noun behind it: chaque jour, chaque personne. Chacun and chacune are pronouns and stand alone: chacun a son avis. English uses each for both jobs, which is why French forces a decision English never asks you to make.

Chaque élève a reçu un livre, et chacun a signé la liste.

Each pupil got a book, and each one signed the list.

What it is

French splits the idea of each in two. Chaque is a determiner: it replaces the article in front of a noun and that noun has to be singular. Chacun and chacune are pronouns: they stand in place of the noun entirely, and they show the gender of whatever they refer to.

Chaque invité a apporté un plat, et chacun a mangé de tout. — Each guest brought a dish, and everyone ate a bit of everything.

How to spot it

Look for a noun immediately after. If there is one, you need chaque, and it stays singular. If there is not, you need chacun or chacune, and you have to know the gender of what you are talking about.

chaque matin — every morning (noun follows)
Chacun a payé sa part. — Everyone paid their share. (no noun)
chacune des filles — each of the girls (de + group)
Chacun son tour. — One at a time.

Chaque has no plural. Chaque enfants does not exist, and neither does chaques. If you need a plural, the word you want is tous les or toutes les.

Chaque, Chacun, and Chacune Quick Reference

Chaque and chacun side by side

Word	Type	Example
chaque	adjective + singular noun	chaque semaine — every week
chacun	pronoun, masculine	Chacun décide. — Everyone decides.
chacune	pronoun, feminine	Chacune a répondu. — Each one answered.
chacun de	pronoun + group	chacun de nous — each of us
chacun d'entre	pronoun + group, formal	chacun d'entre vous — each of you
tous les / toutes les	for intervals	tous les deux jours — every two days

Common Chaque, Chacun, and Chacune Examples in French

Each word doing its own job:

Chaque Before a Noun

Chaque candidat dispose de dix minutes.: Each candidate has ten minutes.
Elle relit chaque phrase deux fois.: She rereads every sentence twice.
Chaque fois que je le vois, il a changé.: Every time I see him, he's changed.
Il y a une erreur à chaque page.: There's a mistake on every page.

The noun after chaque is always singular, and so is the verb: chaque enfant a, never chaque enfants ont.

Chacun and Chacune Alone

Chacun a le droit de s'exprimer.: Everyone has the right to speak.
Les invitées sont arrivées, chacune avec un cadeau.: The guests arrived, each one with a present.
Ils ont chacun leur chambre.: They each have their own room.
Chacune de ces solutions a un défaut.: Each of these solutions has a flaw.

The verb stays singular even when the group is large, because the pronoun considers the members one at a time.

Chacun of a Group

Chacun de mes frères vit à l'étranger.: Each of my brothers lives abroad.
Chacune d'entre nous a une raison différente.: Each of us has a different reason.
Il a offert un livre à chacun des enfants.: He gave a book to each of the children.
Chacun d'eux a reçu une convocation.: Each of them received a summons.

Use de before a noun and d'entre before a pronoun: chacun des étudiants, chacun d'entre eux.

Prices and Distribution

Ces livres coûtent quinze euros chacun.: These books cost fifteen euros each.
Ils ont pris deux gâteaux chacun.: They each took two cakes.
Rangez chacun vos affaires.: Each of you put your things away.
Nous avons chacun notre avis là-dessus.: We each have our own opinion about it.

Chacun placed after the verb distributes the action over the members of the subject, and English usually puts each in front of the verb instead.

How Chaque and Chacun Behave

The grammatical category decides everything: agreement, number, and what can follow.

Chaque Is Singular by Definition

Chaque considers the members of a group one at a time, so the noun and verb after it are singular. There is no plural form of the word, and no situation in which chaques could exist.

Chaque pays a ses traditions.

Every country has its own traditions.

chaque + singular noun + singular verb.

Chacun Shows the Gender of the Group

As a pronoun, chacun takes the gender of whatever it stands for: chacune for a set of feminine nouns, chacun for masculine or mixed groups. The verb remains singular in both cases.

Les candidates sont entrées et chacune s'est présentée.

The candidates came in and each one introduced herself.

chacun / chacune, always with a singular verb.

The Possessive Can Go Either Way

After chacun, French allows both son, sa, ses and leur, leurs. Son is the strict agreement with the singular pronoun; leur follows the plural sense and is very common when the real subject is plural.

Chacun a ses raisons. — Ils ont chacun leurs raisons.

Everyone has their reasons. — They each have their reasons.

chacun … son, or ils … chacun leur.

De or D'entre Before the Group

To name the group, chacun takes de before a noun and d'entre before a pronoun. Chacun de mes amis and chacun d'entre nous are both standard; chacun de nous is also accepted.

Chacun d'entre eux a signé le document.

Each of them signed the document.

chacun de + noun, chacun d'entre + pronoun.

Intervals Take Tous Les

Chaque cannot count more than one unit at a time, so every two days and every three weeks use tous les or toutes les with a plural noun instead.

Il vient tous les deux jours.

He comes every other day.

tous les deux jours, toutes les trois semaines.

Common Mistakes with Chaque, Chacun, and Chacune

Incorrect: Chaque étudiants doivent apporter un stylo. — Every student has to bring a pen.

Correct: Chaque étudiant doit apporter un stylo. — Every student has to bring a pen.

Chaque takes a singular noun and a singular verb. If you want the plural, the phrase is tous les étudiants doivent.

Incorrect: Chaque de mes amis est venu. — Each of my friends came.

Correct: Chacun de mes amis est venu. — Each of my friends came.

Chaque must be followed directly by its noun and cannot be followed by de. Once a de phrase is involved, the word you need is the pronoun chacun.

Incorrect: Il vient chaque deux jours. — He comes every other day.

Correct: Il vient tous les deux jours. — He comes every other day.

Chaque counts one unit at a time, so it cannot be combined with a number. Intervals of more than one take tous les or toutes les with a plural noun.

Incorrect: Chacun ont apporté quelque chose. — Everyone brought something.

Correct: Chacun a apporté quelque chose. — Everyone brought something.

Chacun is a singular pronoun even though it refers to several people, so the verb is singular. This is the same logic as tout le monde est.

Fixed Phrases and the Intervals Problem

Two idiom sets and one construction where chaque cannot be used at all.

Every two days, every ten minutes

When the interval is more than one unit, French switches to tous les or toutes les plus a number and a plural noun. Chaque is impossible here.

Le bus passe toutes les dix minutes.: The bus comes every ten minutes.
Elle nous écrit tous les trois mois.: She writes to us every three months.
Prenez ce médicament toutes les six heures.: Take this medicine every six hours.

For a single unit both are possible: chaque jour and tous les jours mean the same thing.

Idioms with chacun

A small set of fixed sayings uses chacun with no article and often no verb. They are worth learning whole.

Chacun pour soi.: Every man for himself.
À chacun son goût.: Each to their own.
Chacun son tour.: One at a time.
Chacun ses problèmes.: Everyone has their own troubles.

These keep son even when the sense is plural, because the pronoun itself is singular.

Chaque in fixed expressions

Chaque also anchors a few common phrases, especially chaque fois que, which is how French says every time that.

Chaque fois qu'il pleut, la cave est inondée.: Every time it rains, the cellar floods.
Chaque chose en son temps.: All in good time.
À chaque instant, quelque chose peut changer.: At any moment, something can change.

Chaque fois que is more common than toutes les fois que, which sounds heavier.

Chaque, Chacun, and Chacune FAQs

What is the difference between chaque and chacun?: Chaque is an adjective and must be followed by a singular noun: chaque jour, chaque personne. Chacun is a pronoun and stands alone: chacun a son avis. English each covers both, which is why the distinction has to be made deliberately.
Does chaque have a plural form?: No. Chaque is always singular, and both chaques and chaque plus a plural noun are impossible. When you need a plural, use tous les or toutes les: tous les élèves, toutes les semaines.
How do I say every two weeks in French?: Toutes les deux semaines. Chaque cannot take a number, so intervals of more than one unit use tous les or toutes les with the plural noun: tous les trois jours, toutes les dix minutes.
Is it chacun son or chacun leur?: Both are correct. Chacun a son avis follows the singular pronoun; ils ont chacun leur avis follows the plural subject. Son is the safer default when chacun is the subject on its own.
How do I say each of us in French?: Chacun de nous or chacun d'entre nous, with a singular verb: chacun de nous a une part de responsabilité. Use d'entre before pronouns and de before nouns: chacun des participants.