Position and Order of Object Pronouns

Position and Order of Object Pronouns

  • Object pronouns in French come before the verb. For example, “Je le vois” translates to “I see it”, where “le” is the object pronoun.

  • There is a specific order that object pronouns follow when there is more than one in a sentence. The order is: me, te, se, nous, vous > le, la, les > lui, leur > y > en. For instance, if you have “vous” and “le” in a sentence, “vous” will come before “le”.

  • If these object pronouns are used in a command or an order, the pronouns come after the verb and are linked with a hyphen. For example, “Donnez-le-moi” translates to “Give it to me”.

  • The object pronouns “me”, “te”, “nous”, and “vous” change to “m’” and “t’” before a vowel or silent “h”. For instance, “Il me aime” changes to “Il m’aime”.

  • When using the passé composé tense, direct object pronouns come before the auxiliary verb. For example, “Je l’ai vu” translates to “I saw him”.

  • In negative commands, the pronoun comes between the negation “ne” and the verb. For example, “Ne le faites pas” translates to “Don’t do it”.

  • Be particularly aware of the pronouns “en” and “y”. “En” is used before a partitive article or uncountable quantities and “y” often refers to a previously-mentioned place.

  • In an affirmative command, the pronouns “me” and “te” become “moi” and “toi”. For example, “Dis-moi” translates to “Tell me”.