Object Pronouns
Direct/indirect objects, y, en, and double pronoun order
Direct Object Pronouns (COD — Complément d'objet direct)
Direct object pronouns replace the noun that directly receives the action of the verb (no preposition).
| Person | Pronoun |
|---|---|
| me | me (m') |
| you (informal) | te (t') |
| him / it (masc.) | le (l') |
| her / it (fem.) | la (l') |
| us | nous |
| you (formal/plural) | vous |
| them | les |
Examples:
- Tu vois le film ? → Tu le vois ? (Do you see it?)
- J'aime Marie. → Je **l'**aime. (I love her.)
- Il achète les livres. → Il les achète. (He buys them.)
How to identify a COD: Ask "who?" or "what?" after the verb. If the answer has no preposition, it's a direct object.
Indirect Object Pronouns (COI — Complément d'objet indirect)
Indirect object pronouns replace à + person (the person to/for whom something is done).
| Person | Pronoun |
|---|---|
| to me | me (m') |
| to you (informal) | te (t') |
| to him / to her | lui |
| to us | nous |
| to you (formal/plural) | vous |
| to them | leur |
Examples:
- Je parle à Pierre. → Je lui parle. (I speak to him.)
- Il écrit à ses parents. → Il leur écrit. (He writes to them.)
Key difference from English: In English, "I told him" has no visible preposition. In French, you need to recognize the hidden à: dire à quelqu'un → lui dire.
y and en
| Pronoun | Replaces | Example |
|---|---|---|
| y | à + place or thing | Tu vas à Paris ? → Tu y vas ? (Are you going there?) |
| en | de + thing / a quantity | Tu veux du café ? → Tu en veux ? (Do you want some?) |
More examples with en:
- J'ai trois livres. → J'en ai trois. (I have three of them.)
- Il parle de son voyage. → Il en parle. (He talks about it.)
Memory tip: y = "there" (replaces places with à). en = "of it/them/some" (replaces things with de or quantities).
Placement Rules
Object pronouns go before the conjugated verb (not after, as in English).
- Je le vois. (I see him.)
- Je ne le vois pas. (I don't see him. — the pronoun stays before the verb, inside the negation.)
- Je vais le voir. (I'm going to see him. — before the infinitive in compound tenses.)
Double Pronoun Order
When a sentence has two object pronouns, they follow this strict order:
me/te/se/nous/vous → le/la/les → lui/leur → y → en
Examples:
- Il me le donne. (He gives it to me.)
- Je le lui dis. (I tell it to him/her.)
- Il nous en parle. (He talks to us about it.)
Exam tip: Double pronoun sentences are common in TCF reading comprehension. Memorize the order: people pronouns first, then thing pronouns, then lui/leur, then y, then en.