Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns in French

In French, understanding pronouns is key to sounding natural and fluent. Two of the most important types are direct object pronouns and indirect object pronouns. In this post, we’ll break down both, explain how they work, and give you plenty of examples so you can use them confidently.


1. Direct Object Pronouns (le, la, les)

What are direct object pronouns? Direct object pronouns replace the noun that directly receives the action of the verb. In French, they are used to avoid repeating the same noun over and over.

  • Le = him/it (masculine singular)
  • La = her/it (feminine singular)
  • Les = them (plural, both masculine and feminine)

Examples:

  1. Without pronouns:
    • Je vois le chien. (I see the dog.)
    • J’entends la chanson. (I hear the song.)
    • Il connaît les enfants. (He knows the children.)
  2. With direct object pronouns:
    • Je le vois. (I see him/it.)
    • Je la connais. (I know her/it.)
    • Il les aime. (He loves them.)

Placement:

In the present tense, the direct object pronoun is placed before the verb:

  • Je la regarde. (I am watching her/it.)

In compound tenses (like the passé composé), the pronoun is still placed before the verb, and it sometimes agrees in gender and number with the past participle:

  • Il l’a vue. (He saw her.)
  • Nous les avons achetés. (We bought them.)

Tips for beginners:

  • Remember that le/la can mean both “him/her” or “it,” depending on the gender of the noun.
  • Les is always plural, regardless of whether you’re referring to people or things.

2. Indirect Object Pronouns (lui, leur)

What are indirect object pronouns? Indirect object pronouns replace nouns that are the recipients of the action, but not directly affected by it. In other words, they answer the question “to whom?” or “for whom?” the action is happening.

  • Lui = to him/her (singular)
  • Leur = to them (plural)

Examples:

  1. Without pronouns:
    • Je parle à Marie. (I am speaking to Marie.)
    • Il donne un cadeau à son ami. (He gives a gift to his friend.)
    • Nous écrivons à nos parents. (We are writing to our parents.)
  2. With indirect object pronouns:
    • Je lui parle. (I am speaking to her/him.)
    • Il lui donne un cadeau. (He gives a gift to him/her.)
    • Nous leur écrivons. (We are writing to them.)

Placement:

Just like with direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns are placed before the verb:

  • Il lui parle. (He is speaking to her/him.)

In compound tenses, they also come before the auxiliary verb:

  • Je leur ai écrit. (I wrote to them.)

Important note:

  • Unlike direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns never agree in gender or number with the verb.

3. Combining Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns

When you have both a direct and an indirect object pronoun in the same sentence, the indirect pronoun always comes before the direct pronoun.

Order of pronouns:

  • me/te/nous/vous before le/la/les before lui/leur

Example:

  • Il me le donne. (He gives it to me.)
  • Je le leur ai expliqué. (I explained it to them.)

4. A Quick Comparison: Direct vs. Indirect Pronouns

Direct Object Pronouns Indirect Object Pronouns
Le (him/it), La (her/it), Les (them) Lui (to him/her), Leur (to them)
Receives the action directly Receives the action indirectly
Example: Je le vois. (I see him/it.) Example: Je lui parle. (I am speaking to him/her.)
Facebook Comments Box
Previous articleFrench Texting Abbreviations: A Guide to Common SMS Slang
Next articleFrench Relative Pronouns: Qui, Que, Dont, and Où