French grammar: les pronoms objets directs et indirects (me, te, le, la, lui, leur, nous, vous, les)

What this grammar point covers

Direct and indirect object pronouns are small words in French (like me, te, le, la, lui, leur, nous, vous, les) that replace nouns to avoid repetition. They show who receives the action of the verb.

When to use it

Use these pronouns in French when you want to replace people or things that receive the action of the verb, instead of repeating their names. Use direct object pronouns for people or things directly affected by the verb, and indirect object pronouns when the verb is followed by 'à' (to).

Key forms

• me, te, nous, vous (for 'me, you, us, you')
• le, la, les (for 'him/it, her/it, them' as direct objects)
• lui, leur (for 'to him/her, to them' as indirect objects)

Examples

Tips

• The pronoun comes before the verb in French.
• Be careful: 'le', 'la', 'les' are for direct objects, 'lui', 'leur' are for indirect objects (usually with 'à').
• With two pronouns, the order is important. At A2, focus on using one pronoun at a time.

Exceptions and edge cases

• In negative sentences, the pronoun stays before the verb: 'Je ne le vois pas.'
• With infinitives, the pronoun comes before the infinitive: 'Je vais le voir.'