In English we have different pairs of words like I/me, he/him, she/her, we/us, you/you which we use depending on which 'side' of a verb they're on:
e.g. She admires her
I give it to him (or, I give him it)
He gives it to me (or, He gives me it)
(Notice that in the cases with 'to', the words can switch around and the 'to' vanishes, and something very similar happens in French with verbs that have à in them)
These are called subject pronouns (left) and object pronouns (right).
French has similar pairs which we use:
| Subject Pronoun | Object Pronoun |
| je | me |
| tu | te |
| nous | nous |
| vous | vous |
See how they get used in real sentences:
Je me demande si c'est possible.
I ask myself if it's possible.
Je te parle.
I'm speaking to you.
Tu nous parles
You're speaking to us
Je vous attends
I'm waiting for you
Note that they always come before the verb.
And when followed by a vowel or mute "h", me and te become m' and t' .
Grammar note: Remember verbs always have a subject (je/tu etc.) but only some have objects. Use object pronouns to replace nouns that are the object of the verb.
Tip: If the words "object pronoun" strike horror and panic into your heart, take a look at the cartoon video in the examples which explains them. They're actually pretty easy to figure out.
See also Position of direct and indirect object pronouns with negation
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Q&A Forum 8 questions, 20 answers
Ils vous plaira
Hi Rod,
If it is plaira it will be the singular- 'il'
il plaira à vous------> il vous plaira = You will like it
If it was in the plural, it would be -ils
Ils vous plairont ( Ils plairont à vous) = You will like them
Hope this helps!
Ils vous plaira
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Why is the sentence structure changing?( Why is the object pronoun placed before the noun.....as in Subject -Object- Verb?
Which type of sentence structure does French use?
I am confused tho, I think my question is more like '' Why would the object pronoun come immediately after a subject pronoun?)
Hm. I can't think of a reason except for "that's just how it is". Word order is usually very specific in French.
Why is the sentence structure changing?( Why is the object pronoun placed before the noun.....as in Subject -Object- Verb?
Which type of sentence structure does French use?
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I got confused as scared when I studied the lesson, then started understanding the topic at the beginning of the video. but.....
but towards the ending of the video, everything got even more confusing.
I got confused as scared when I studied the lesson, then started understanding the topic at the beginning of the video. but.....
but towards the ending of the video, everything got even more confusing.
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Two possible answers?
The question was:
Je décris les gens et je ________ parfaitement.
I describe people and I describe you perfectly.
Since the English "you" could be translated as either "tu" or "vous", the following two answers should be correct:
te décris
vous décrivez
I wrote the second one but was marked as incorrect.
Now I see my error! The second option "vous décrivez" should be "vous décris" so that the whole sentence would be:
Je décris les gens et je vous décris parfaitement.
Two possible answers?
The question was:
Je décris les gens et je ________ parfaitement.
I describe people and I describe you perfectly.
Since the English "you" could be translated as either "tu" or "vous", the following two answers should be correct:
te décris
vous décrivez
I wrote the second one but was marked as incorrect.
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May I ask this?
ll envoie les fleurs à Sophie
to
ll les lui envoie. Why not
ll lui les envoie
is this totally wrong? Please clarify. Thank you.
Hi Ca,
This is because of the order of multiple pronouns in a French sentence-
The direct object pronouns (les) will be before the indirect object ones (lui).
Take a look at the following lesson for further examples:
Using direct and indirect object pronouns together
Hope this helps!
Hi, I just check that.
ll envoie les fleurs à Sophie
To
ll les lui envoie.
ll te la envoie.
Is the only way say this?
is ll lui... In any situation would be wrong?
Hi Ca,
Il les lui envoie = Il envoie les fleurs à Sophie
Il te l'envoie = Il envoie la lettre/le livre à toi
Il te les envoie = Il envoie les fleurs à toi
Il lui parle/envoie = he speaks /sends to him/her
Hope this helps, let me know if still unclear....
Here is a nice self contained article which explains the pronomial order in French:
https://www.dummies.com/languages/french/object-pronoun-word-order-in-french/
Hi Cécile,
Do you mean ll lui is possible to use like ll lui parle/ll lui envoie
but if ll les lui that's the only way to explain ll envoie les fleurs à Sophie.
ll lui les, les can't be the indirect object here?
May I ask this?
ll envoie les fleurs à Sophie
to
ll les lui envoie. Why not
ll lui les envoie
is this totally wrong? Please clarify. Thank you.
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Bonjouf
Bonjour Kyaw,
Je le lui ai donné = I gave it to him ( it 'being singular and male in French e.g. le stylo)
Je la lui ai donnée = I gave it to him ( it being singular and female e.g. la valise )
Hope this helps!
Bonjouf
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Je l'appelle.
Only context would tell. No way to tell from this sentence alone.
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
Je l'appelle.
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