Kilo Lingo
Part of Chapter 6

CEFR A2-B1

4 min read

Test yourself (24 questions)

French Object Pronouns

French object pronouns sit before the verb and replace nouns to avoid repetition. The pronouns are short, the position is rigid, and the main learning task is choosing direct vs indirect.

The pronouns

PersonDirectIndirect
(me)meme
(you, sg)
(him / it - masc)
(her / it - fem)
(us)
(you, formal / pl)
/ (them)

The first and second persons (me, te, nous, vous) are identical for direct and indirect. The third person splits: / / for direct, / for indirect.

Direct vs indirect: which one does the verb want?

The verb decides. Most verbs take a direct object (no preposition): voir quelqu'un, aimer quelqu'un, attendre quelqu'un. A small but important set takes an indirect object via the preposition à: parler à quelqu'un, donner à quelqu'un, dire à quelqu'un, téléphoner à quelqu'un.

  • . -> . (direct - voir takes a direct object)
  • à . -> . (indirect - parler takes à, so à Marie becomes lui)
  • à . -> . (indirect - the recipient becomes lui)

Common verbs that take indirect objects (the à verbs): , , , , , , , , , .

Preverbal position

The pronoun goes before the conjugated verb.

  • . (I see him.)
  • . (You're speaking to him / her.)
  • attend. (She's waiting for us.)
  • . (We love them.)

In compound tenses (passé composé), the pronoun goes before the auxiliary, not the participle:

  • l' . (I saw him.) - not "j'ai le vu"
  • as . (You spoke to him.)
  • . (We waited for them.)

With an infinitive after a conjugated verb (modal, futur proche), the pronoun attaches to the infinitive:

  • . (I'm going to see him tomorrow.)
  • ? (Can you speak to him?)
  • . (She has to wait for us.)

The m' / t' / l' elision

Before a verb starting with a vowel or silent h, me / / / / drop the vowel and contract:

  • t'. (I love you.) - not "je te aime"
  • m'a . (He saw me.) - not "il me a vu"
  • l'attends. (I'm waiting for him / her.)
  • l' . (We found him / it.)

The elision is mandatory. , , , , never elide because they don't end in a vowel.

Pronoun order when two stack

When two pronouns appear together (direct + indirect, e.g. "I give it to him"), the order is fixed. The Foundation-tier sequence:

1st2nd3rd
me

Rule of thumb: me / / / come before / / , which come before / .

  • me . (He gives it to me.)
  • . (I'm sending them to you.)
  • l'a . (She told it to us.)
  • . (I give it to him.) - the direct precedes the indirect when both are 3rd person
  • . (We send them to them.)

The classic crash point is the third-person + third-person case: , not .

Imperatives: the exception

With affirmative commands, pronouns attach to the verb with hyphens, and me / become / :

  • - . (Give me the book.)
  • --. (Tell it to me.)
  • -. (Speak to him.)

With negative commands, pronouns return to their normal preverbal position:

  • me . (Don't give it to me.)
  • . (Don't speak to him.)

Worked examples

  • l' . (I met him yesterday.)
  • m'as ? (Did you call me?)
  • . (We gave him a present.)
  • . (I'm going to show it to you.)
  • a . (She didn't see us.)
  • -- . (Give it to them right now.)

Common mistakes English speakers make

Putting the pronoun after the verb because that's where English puts it: is wrong, it's . Mixing direct and indirect: writing because "I see him" sounds like a person-receiver verb to the English ear, when actually voir takes a direct object and the right form is . And forgetting the elision: is wrong, it's t'.

See also

Practise: test yourself

Fill in the blank

0/9

Rewrite each sentence, replacing the underlined object with the right object pronoun in its preverbal position. Mind the elision (m', t', l') before a vowel.

  1. Je vois Marie. -> Je vois. (voir takes a direct object; Marie is feminine)

  2. Je parle à Marie. -> Je parle. (parler à -> indirect)

  3. Nous aimons les enfants. -> Nous aimons. (aimer takes a direct object)

  4. Tu donnes l'argent aux enfants. -> Tu donnes l'argent. (donner à -> indirect, plural)

  5. Elle attend Paul. -> Elle attend. (attendre + vowel -> elision)

  6. Je donne le livre à mon père. -> Je donne le livre. (donner à -> indirect, singular)

  7. Tu regardes le film. -> Tu regardes. (regarder takes a direct object; film is masculine)

  8. Nous cherchons nos amis. -> Nous cherchons. (chercher takes a direct object, plural)

  9. Elle aide sa mère. -> Elle aide. (aider + vowel -> elision)

Translation drill

0/7

Translate into French, putting the object pronoun before the verb and using the elision where French forces it.

  1. I see him.

  2. You're speaking to him.

  3. I love you.

  4. She's waiting for us.

  5. We love them.

  6. I'm giving him the book.

  7. I saw him.

Pick the right one

0/8

Choose le (direct object) or lui (indirect object) according to what the verb wants.

  1. Je vois. (voir Paul)

  2. Je parle. (parler à Paul)

  3. Je donne de l'argent. (donner à Paul)

  4. Je aime. (aimer Paul)

  5. Je dis bonjour. (dire à Paul)

  6. Je regarde. (regarder Paul)

  7. Je donne le livre. (donner à Paul)

  8. Je cherche. (chercher Paul)

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between direct and indirect object pronouns in French?
Direct object pronouns replace the noun that receives the action directly - 'I see HIM' uses le, 'I see HER' uses la. Indirect object pronouns replace the noun introduced by a preposition (usually à) - 'I speak TO HIM' uses lui, 'I speak TO HER' also uses lui. The third-person pronouns split (le / la for direct, lui for indirect); the others (me, te, nous, vous) are the same in both functions. The split matters because the verb decides which one - parler prend à (parler à quelqu'un), so it triggers lui, not le.
Where do French object pronouns go in a sentence?
Before the conjugated verb, always. 'Je le vois' (I see him), 'tu lui parles' (you talk to him), 'elle nous attend' (she's waiting for us). When there's an infinitive after a conjugated verb, the pronoun attaches to the infinitive: 'je vais le voir' (I'm going to see him). In compound tenses (passé composé), the pronoun goes before the auxiliary: 'je l'ai vu' (I saw him). The only exception is affirmative imperatives, where the pronoun comes after with a hyphen: 'donne-le-moi'.