Pronoms d`objet indirect (Indirect Object Pronouns)

Pronoms d’objet indirect
(Indirect Object Pronouns)
As you saw in the previous unit, pronouns are words that replace nouns in a
sentence. Objects are nouns that are acted upon by verbs. We’ve already reviewed direct
object pronouns, and in this lesson we will focus on indirect object pronouns.
Indirect object pronouns are used to replace [the preposition à + a noun that represents
people].
Téléphones-tu à Marie ? Oui, je lui téléphone.
Parles-tu à tes professeurs ? Non, je ne leur parle pas.
Subject
pronouns
je
tu
il / elle
nous
vous
ils / elles
Indirect object
pronouns
me
te
lui
nous
vous
leur
Examples
Claire me téléphone. (à moi)
Claire te téléphone. (à toi)
Claire lui téléphone. (à lui/à elle)
Claire nous rend visite. (à nous)
Claire vous rend visite. (à vous)
Claire leur dit la vérité. (à eux/à elles)
Remember, me and te are changed to m' and t' before a vowel or an "h."
Here are some other verbs that often take an indirect object:
téléphoner à ____ (to telephone ____)
demander à ____ (to ask ____)
dire à ____ (to say to ____)
donner à ____ (to give to ____)
emprunter à ____ (to borrow from ___)
montrer à ____ (to show to ____)
prêter à ____ (to lend to ____)
écrire à ____ (to write to ____)
parler à ____ (to speak to ____)
rendre visite à ____ (to visit ____)
répondre à ____ (to respond to ____)
Nous parlons souvent à notre professeur. = Nous lui parlons souvent.
Remember, when you negate sentences with object pronouns, the ne will go in front of
them as in:
Nous ne parlons pas souvent à notre professeur. = Nous ne lui parlons pas
souvent.
In the examples above, notice that indirect object pronouns are placed directly before
the verb for which they are an object. The same is true in tenses other than the present,
like the passé composé. The placement of indirect object pronouns in the passé
composé is the same as you saw with direct objects.
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Pronoms d’objet indirect
(Indirect Object Pronouns)
Subject + indirect object pronoun + present tense of avoir + past participle
Je lui ai parlé.
Je leur ai dit la vérité.
The past participle never agrees with indirect object pronouns. That rule only applies to
direct object pronouns. Because the direct and indirect object pronouns are the same in
some cases (me, te, nous, and vous), make sure you pay attention to what kind of
object pronoun you’re using so you know how to spell the past participle correctly.
Negating these sentences also follows the same rule.
Elle vous a téléphoné ?
Il ne nous a pas parlé.
Je ne leur ai pas dit la vérité.
You may see sentences that use both direct and indirect object pronouns. Here is the
special order you need to follow:
Subject
+
me
te
nous
vous
+
le
la
les
+
lui
leur
Tu me donnes la pomme ? = Oui, je te la donne.
Tu donnes le stylo à Sophie ? = Oui, je le lui donne.
Elle t’a donné les cartes ? = Non, elle ne me les a pas données.
Notice that if both a direct and an indirect object are used in the passé composé, the
past participle will agree with the direct object pronoun.
Practice determining what kind of object a noun is and also how to replace it with an
object pronoun so you will be able to speak clearly and fluidly.
Pronoms d’objet indirect
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