French direct and indirect object pronouns
Indirect or Direct pronouns (French: les pronoms indirects et directs) are used to replace the complement it can either be a COD or a COI. Even for the COS, we can also use pronouns to replace the complement in this case also it can either be the direct object or the indirect object pronouns.
Here you wil get an overview about all the complements pronouns in the French grammar
Lesson Outline
Hide- 1.French direct object pronouns
- 1.1.Chart of the French direct object pronouns
- 2.Formation of the French direct object pronouns
- 2.1.Examples
- 3.The French Indirect object pronouns
- 3.1.Chart of the French indirecti object pronouns
- 3.2.Examples
- 4.Exercises
- 4.1.Reflexive vs object pronouns in French
- 4.2.Fill in the blank exercise about the direct object pronouns in French
- 4.3.Fill in the blank exercise about the indirect object pronouns in French
1) French direct object pronouns
The French direct object pronoun replaces a direct object complement (COD) and makes it possible not to repeat the noun. It is always placed before the verb.
It answers to the question:
- Qui ? (for a person)
- Quoi ? (for a thing)
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Chart of the French direct object pronouns
| COD | |
|---|---|
| Singular | Me Te Le La |
| Plural | Nous Vous Les |
Formation of the French direct object pronouns
1. For yourself, the person who is talking (I), you use the pronoun me or m' (in front of a vowel or an h)
- Il connaît Julien depuis le lycée. ------> Il me connaît depuis le lycée. (He knows Julian since high school)
- Ils adorent Marie. -------> Ils m'adorent
This direct object pronouns cannot apply to the 1st plural person: nous
2. For the person who you talking to (you), you use the pronoun te or t' (in front of a vowel or an h)
- Je n'ai pas vu Sandra à la gare. -----> Je ne t'ai pas vu à la gare. (I didn't saw you at the train station)
- Nous tuerons Léo -----> Nous te tuerons. (We will kill you)
This direct object cannot apply to the 2nd plural person: vous
3. For people that are talking (we), you use the pronoun: nous
- Ton amie invite notre famille à dîner. -----> Ton amie nous invite à dîner
- Vous attendez vos amies. -----> Vous nous attendez.
This pronoun cannot apply to the 1st singular person: je
4. For the people we are talking to (you), you use the pronoun: vous
- J'attends mes amies et toi -----> Je vous attends
- Je ne vois plus Marie et Rosie -----> Je ne vous vois plus
In general, this pronoun is used in all personal pronouns as a cortesy for a person.
5. For a person or a thing, you use:
- la or l' for the feminine complement
- le or l' for the masculine complement
- les for many things or many persons
Examples
| COD | Object pronouns | Examples | |
| Feminine complement | Je regarde la télévision | Je la regarde | (I am watching the TV) |
| Masculine complement | Ils voient le jardin Vous adorez le professeur | Ils le voient Vous l'adorez | (They see the garden) (You love the professor |
| many things or persons | Nous achetons les fruits Vous voyez les enfants | Nous les achetons Vous les voyez | (We are buying fruits) (You see the children) |
Note that the direct object pronouns le,la,les,l' always agree in gender and in number with the complement/noun it replaces.
2) The French Indirect object pronouns
The French direct object pronoun replaces a indirect object complement (COI) and makes it possible not to repeat the noun. It is always placed before the verb.
It answers to the question:
- à qui ?
- à quoi ?
Chart of the French indirecti object pronouns
| COI | |
|---|---|
| Singular | Me Te Lui |
| Plural | Nous Vous Leur |
These pronouns are usually used with the communication verbs that are built with the preposition à:
- dire à
- téléphoner à
- parler à
- envoyer à
- donner à
- offrir à
- répondre à
- écrire à
- demander à
Examples
| Pronouns | COI | Pronoun |
|---|---|---|
| me | Le professeur a donné un devoir à moi | Le professeur m'a donné un devoir |
| te | Je parle à toi | Je te parle |
| lui | Nous avons envoyé une lettre au président | Nous lui avons envoyé une lettre |
| nous | Le voisin apporte des pommes à nos amies | le voisin nous apporte des pommes |
| vous | Il demande pardon à tes amies | Il vous demande pardon |
| leur | Vous écrivez une poésie aux parents des élèves | Vous leur écrivez une poésie |
Note that in front of a,e,i,o,u,y and h te and me become m' and t'
Exercises
- Reflexive vs object pronouns in French
- Fill in the blank exercise about the direct object pronouns in French
- Fill in the blank exercise about the indirect object pronouns in French
Reflexive vs object pronouns in French
Fill in the blank exercise about the direct object pronouns in French
Fill in the blank exercise about the indirect object pronouns in French
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