Two sets of pronouns
French object pronouns replace nouns you have already mentioned, and they move in front of the verb. There are two sets. Direct object pronouns replace a noun with no preposition: me, te, le, la, nous, vous, les. Indirect object pronouns replace à + a person: me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur.
The sets differ only in the third person: le, la, les for direct versus lui, leur for indirect. That is where all the decisions happen.
| Person | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|
| me | me / m' | me / m' |
| you (tu) | te / t' | te / t' |
| him / it | le / l' | lui |
| her / it | la / l' | lui |
| us | nous | nous |
| you (vous) | vous | vous |
| them | les | leur |
Direct or indirect? Check the verb
The choice depends on the French verb, and French does not always match English. Verbs that connect to their person with à take indirect pronouns: parler à, téléphoner à, écrire à, donner à, répondre à. Verbs that take their object directly use direct pronouns: voir, aimer, regarder, inviter, appeler.
Two traps: téléphoner à and répondre à are indirect in French even though English calls someone or answers someone directly. In the other direction, regarder and attendre are direct in French even though English says look at and wait for.
| Tu vois le bus ? Oui, je le vois. | Do you see the bus? Yes, I see it. voir takes a direct object |
| Je téléphone à ma mère. Je lui téléphone. | I call my mother. I call her. téléphoner à = indirect, so lui |
| Il parle aux voisins. Il leur parle. | He talks to the neighbors. He talks to them. |
| Tu m'écoutes ? | Are you listening to me? écouter is direct in French |
Placement: before the working verb
With a single conjugated verb, the pronoun sits directly before it: Je le vois. In the negative, the sandwich wraps around both pronoun and verb: Je ne le vois pas.
With verb + infinitive, the pronoun moves before the infinitive it belongs to: Je vais le faire, Elle veut leur parler. In the passé composé, it goes before the helper: Je l'ai vu, Nous leur avons écrit.
| Elle achète la robe ? Non, elle ne l'achète pas. | Is she buying the dress? No, she is not buying it. |
| Je vais te montrer les photos. | I am going to show you the photos. pronoun before the infinitive |
| Nous les avons invités. | We invited them. pronoun before the helper avoir |
Participle agreement with a preceding direct object
Here the passé composé rule from earlier pays off. When a direct object pronoun stands before avoir, the past participle agrees with it: J'ai vu tes sœurs becomes Je les ai vues, with -es because les refers to the sisters. Indirect pronouns trigger no agreement: Je leur ai parlé stays bare.
| J'ai vu tes sœurs hier. Je les ai vues hier. | I saw your sisters yesterday. I saw them yesterday. vues agrees with les (feminine plural) |
The agreement is written and rarely heard, except with participles like fait / faite and mis / mise where the feminine adds an audible consonant: la tarte que j'ai faite.
Double pronouns
When a sentence needs two pronouns, French fixes their order: me, te, nous, vous come first; then le, la, les; then lui, leur. So: Elle me le donne. Je le lui ai dit. You never have to guess if you keep the sequence in mind.
| Elle me l'a donné hier. | She gave it to me yesterday. me before le |
| Je le lui ai dit. | I told it to him. le before lui |
| Tu les leur donnes ? | Are you giving them to them? les before leur |
Where y and en fit
Two more small pronouns complete the system: y replaces à + a place or thing (J'y vais), and en replaces de + a quantity (J'en veux deux). They come last in any pronoun sequence. They deserve their own study session, and the linked Study Desk article covers them thoroughly.
Pronunciation corner
| le / les | /lə/ /le/ | luh versus lay; this tiny vowel change carries the plural |
| lui | /lɥi/ | lwee in one syllable, lips tight for the glide |
| leur | /lœʁ/ | rhymes with sœur; one syllable, soft r |
| je l'ai vu | /ʒə le vy/ | zhuh-lay-VEW, glued together as one flow |
| tu m'écoutes | /ty mekut/ | tew may-KOOT; the m' fuses with the verb |
Practice drill
Rewrite each sentence, replacing the object noun with the correct pronoun.
Je regarde la télé.Show answer
Je la regarde.
Nous appelons nos parents.Show answer
Nous les appelons.appeler takes a direct object
Elle écrit à son frère.Show answer
Elle lui écrit.écrire à = indirect
Tu donnes les clés à Marc ?Show answer
Tu les lui donnes ?les before lui
Il ne comprend pas la question.Show answer
Il ne la comprend pas.
Je vais envoyer le colis.Show answer
Je vais l'envoyer.pronoun before the infinitive
Vous parlez aux étudiants.Show answer
Vous leur parlez.
J'ai vu tes sœurs hier.Show answer
Je les ai vues hier.participle agrees: vues
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a verb takes a direct or an indirect pronoun?
Check how the French verb connects to a person. If it uses à (parler à, téléphoner à, écrire à), the pronoun is indirect: lui, leur. If the verb takes its object with no preposition (voir, inviter, écouter), the pronoun is direct: le, la, les. Learn each verb with its preposition.
Where does the pronoun go when there are two verbs?
Before the verb it belongs to, which is usually the infinitive: Je veux le voir, Elle va leur téléphoner. In the passé composé, it goes before the helper: Je l'ai vu.
What are y and en?
Y replaces à + a place or thing: J'y vais, I am going there. En replaces de + a quantity or thing: J'en ai trois, I have three of them. They always come after the other object pronouns in a sequence.
Why does vues take -es in je les ai vues?
With avoir, the past participle agrees with a direct object that comes before the verb. Les refers to tes sœurs, feminine plural, and it stands before ai vu, so the participle becomes vues. With the noun after the verb, there is no agreement: j'ai vu tes sœurs.
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