Isn't "Je te passe Paul" ambiguous? How do you know which is the direct and indirect pronoun ?

D. E.C1Kwiziq community member

Isn't "Je te passe Paul" ambiguous? How do you know which is the direct and indirect pronoun ?

Asked 7 years ago
AurélieNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer
Bonjour David !

Here, it would be literally "I pass Paul to you" or in incorrect French "Je passe Paul à toi".
Therefore, "Paul" is the direct object here (not introduced by a preposition) when "te" is the indirect object pronoun.

I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
harris d.C1Kwiziq community member
How would I say: "I'm passing you to her"? Would it be: "Je lui passe toi"?
harris d.C1Kwiziq community member
Or maybe it is: "Je lui te passe".
AurélieNative French expert teacher in Kwiziq

Bonjour Harris !

Your question is actually more complex than it looked :)

I spent a few minutes turning it over in my (native) head, and the conclusion is in French you can't say "I'm passing you to her."!

Instead we'd shift the point of view and would say "I'm passing her to you.":

Je vous la passe. / Je te la passe.

 

I hope that's helpful!

D. E. asked:View original

Isn't "Je te passe Paul" ambiguous? How do you know which is the direct and indirect pronoun ?

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