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
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
8/07/18
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!
Kyaw
Kwiziq community member
8/07/18
Chris
Kwiziq community member
15/01/18
Only context would tell. No way to tell from this sentence alone.
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
ca
Kwiziq community member
17/01/18
Chris
Kwiziq community member
17/01/18
-- Chris.
Anna
Kwiziq community member
13 September 2018
1 reply
Bonjour!
Chris
Kwiziq community member
14 September 2018
14/09/18