Understanding Indirect Object Pronouns
French indirect object pronouns replace indirect objects - the person or thing that indirectly receives the action of the verb.
They answer "to whom?" or "for whom?" and typically replace phrases with à (to). Many French verbs require à before their object.
Like direct object pronouns, they go before the conjugated verb to avoid repetition.
Examples
Je parle à Marie. → Je lui parle. (I speak to Marie. → I speak to her.)
Lui replaces à Marie
Nous donnons le livre aux enfants. → Nous leur donnons le livre. (We give the book to the children. → We give the book to them.)
Leur replaces aux enfants
The Six Indirect Object Pronouns
French has six indirect object pronouns:
Complete Indirect Object Pronoun System
All French indirect object pronouns:
French Indirect Object Pronouns
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| me (m') | 1st person singular | to me |
| te (t') | 2nd person singular | to you (informal) |
| lui | 3rd person singular | to him/her |
| nous | 1st person plural | to us |
| vous | 2nd person plural/formal | to you (formal/plural) |
| leur | 3rd person plural | to them |
Key Differences from Direct Object Pronouns
Important differences to remember:
Third person: lui (both masculine and feminine singular)
No separate le/la forms - lui works for both
Third person plural: leur (both masculine and feminine)
Not les - leur is specifically for indirect objects
Common Verbs with Indirect Objects
Many French verbs require à and therefore use indirect object pronouns:
Communication Verbs
Verbs about speaking and communication:
Communication Verbs + À
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| parler à | to speak to | Je lui parle. (I speak to him/her.) |
| téléphoner à | to call | Elle me téléphone. (She calls me.) |
| écrire à | to write to | Tu leur écris. (You write to them.) |
| répondre à | to answer | Il nous répond. (He answers us.) |
Giving and Showing Verbs
Verbs about giving and showing:
donner à (to give to): Je lui donne le livre. (I give the book to him/her.)
offrir à (to offer to): Elle nous offre du café. (She offers us coffee.)
montrer à (to show to): Tu leur montres la photo. (You show them the photo.)
envoyer à (to send to): Il me envoie une lettre. (He sends me a letter.)
Other Common À Verbs
Additional verbs requiring indirect objects:
plaire à (to please): Ce film lui plaît. (This movie pleases him/her.)
ressembler à (to resemble): Tu me ressembles. (You resemble me.)
obéir à (to obey): Les enfants leur obéissent. (The children obey them.)
mentir à (to lie to): Il nous ment. (He lies to us.)
Pronoun Placement Rules
Indirect object pronouns follow the same placement rules as direct object pronouns:
Examples
Je lui parle. (I speak to him/her.)
Present tense - pronoun before verb
Elle nous a téléphoné. (She called us.)
Passé composé - pronoun before auxiliary
Tu leur écriras. (You will write to them.)
Future tense - pronoun before verb
With Infinitives
Pronouns go before the infinitive:
Je veux lui parler. (I want to speak to him/her.)
Elle va nous téléphoner. (She is going to call us.)
With Imperatives
Positive commands: after verb; Negative commands: before verb:
Parle-lui! (Speak to him/her!)
Ne lui parle pas! (Don't speak to him/her!)
LUI vs LEUR Usage
The key distinction in third person indirect object pronouns:
Examples
Je parle à Pierre. → Je lui parle. (I speak to Pierre. → I speak to him.)
Singular person - use lui
Je parle à Marie. → Je lui parle. (I speak to Marie. → I speak to her.)
Singular person - use lui (same for feminine)
Je parle aux enfants. → Je leur parle. (I speak to the children. → I speak to them.)
Plural people - use leur
LUI - Singular (Both Genders)
Lui replaces any singular person:
À mon père → lui: Je lui téléphone. (I call him.)
À ma mère → lui: Je lui téléphone. (I call her.)
Au professeur → lui: Tu lui réponds. (You answer him.)
À la professeure → lui: Tu lui réponds. (You answer her.)
LEUR - Plural (Both Genders)
Leur replaces any plural people:
Aux garçons → leur: Elle leur donne des bonbons. (She gives them candy.)
Aux filles → leur: Elle leur donne des bonbons. (She gives them candy.)
No Past Participle Agreement
Unlike direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns do NOT cause past participle agreement:
Examples
Je lui ai parlé. (I spoke to him/her.)
Parlé stays unchanged - no agreement with lui
Elle leur a téléphoné. (She called them.)
Téléphoné stays unchanged - no agreement with leur
Comparison with Direct Objects
Direct vs indirect object agreement:
Direct: Je l'ai vue. (I saw her.) - agreement with la
Indirect: Je lui ai parlé. (I spoke to her.) - no agreement
Direct: Je les ai vus. (I saw them.) - agreement with les
Indirect: Je leur ai parlé. (I spoke to them.) - no agreement
Double Pronoun Order
When using both direct and indirect object pronouns, there's a specific order:
Examples
Je donne le livre à Marie. → Je le lui donne. (I give the book to Marie. → I give it to her.)
Order: le (direct) + lui (indirect)
Il nous montre les photos. → Il nous les montre. (He shows us the photos. → He shows them to us.)
Order: nous (indirect) + les (direct)
Double Pronoun Order Rules
The order depends on which pronouns are used:
Double Pronoun Order
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| me/te/nous/vous | + le/la/les | Il me le donne. (He gives it to me.) |
| le/la/les | + lui/leur | Je le lui donne. (I give it to him/her.) |
Common Indirect Object Pronoun Mistakes
Here are frequent errors students make:
1. Using direct instead of indirect: Using le/la instead of lui
2. Wrong plural form: Using les instead of leur
3. Unnecessary agreement: Adding agreement with past participles
4. Wrong verb choice: Not recognizing à verbs
Examples
❌ Je le parle (to him) → ✅ Je lui parle
Wrong: parler à requires indirect object
❌ Je les parle (to them) → ✅ Je leur parle
Wrong: plural indirect object is leur
❌ Je lui ai parlée → ✅ Je lui ai parlé
Wrong: no agreement with indirect objects
❌ Je regarde lui → ✅ Je le regarde
Wrong: regarder takes direct object