Pronouns: Objective Forms

01

Direct Object Pronouns

Direct object pronouns replace people or things that receive the action of the verb directly. They answer the question "who?" or "what?".

The forms are:

• me (me)
• te (you, singular informal)
• le (him / it, masculine)
• la (her / it, feminine)
• nous (us)
• vous (you, plural or formal)
• les (them)

Note that le, la, me, and te contract to l', m', and t' before a vowel or silent 'h'.

• Je mange la pomme. → Je la mange.

  I am eating the apple. → I am eating it.

• Il voit ses amis. → Il les voit.

  He sees his friends. → He sees them.

• Elle m'aime.

  She loves me.

02

Indirect Object Pronouns

Indirect object pronouns replace people (or animate beings) that are introduced by the preposition à (to). They answer the question "to whom?".

The forms are:

• me (to me)
• te (to you)
• lui (to him / to her)
• nous (to us)
• vous (to you)
• leur (to them)

Unlike direct pronouns, indirect pronouns do not change based on gender in the third person singular. Lui means both "to him" and "to her".

• Je parle à ma mère. → Je lui parle.

  I speak to my mother. → I speak to her.

• Nous téléphonons aux clients. → Nous leur téléphonons.

  We are calling the clients. → We are calling them.

03

Key Differences in the 3rd Person

The first and second person pronouns (me, te, nous, vous) look exactly the same whether they are direct or indirect. The context of the verb tells you which function they serve.

However, the third person forms are distinct:

• Direct: le, la, les
• Indirect: lui, leur

You must know if the verb requires the preposition à to choose the correct form.

• Je le connais.

  I know him. (Direct: connaître quelqu'un)

• Je lui réponds.

  I answer him. (Indirect: répondre à quelqu'un)

04

Placement: Standard Sentences

In most tenses (Present, Imparfait, Future, etc.), object pronouns are placed before the conjugated verb. This is different from English, where they usually come after.

• Tu me comprends.

  You understand me.

• Ils ne nous croient pas.

  They don't believe us.

05

Placement: With Infinitives

When a sentence contains a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive (common with verbs like aller, vouloir, pouvoir, devoir), the object pronoun is placed immediately before the infinitive (the verb it relates to).

• Je vais le faire.

  I am going to do it.

• Elle veut lui parler.

  She wants to speak to him.

• Tu ne peux pas les acheter.

  You cannot buy them.

06

Placement: The Imperative (Commands)

The rules change when giving commands.

1. Positive Commands

The pronoun is placed after the verb and attached with a hyphen. Additionally, me changes to moi and te changes to toi for easier pronunciation.

• Écoutez-moi !

  Listen to me!

• Regarde-le !

  Look at him!

• Donnez-leur le livre.

  Give them the book.

2. Negative Commands

If the command is negative (don't do something), the rule reverts to the standard position: the pronoun goes before the verb. Moi and toi revert to me and te.

• Ne me parle pas !

  Don't speak to me!

• Ne le fais pas !

  Don't do it!