French Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns

It can be difficult knowing when to use French direct and indirect object pronouns. The grammar can be very different than in English. The first thing to understand is the difference between a direct object and an indirect object, and then you can more easily identify them in a sentence.

Scroll down to watch my video lesson on French direct and indirect object pronouns, and you can download a free PDF of this lesson guide in my private French Grammar Library.

Direct objects are not preceded by prepositions. They simply answer the questions who or what. They can be people, animals, or things. They can be replaced by direct object pronouns to avoid repetition.

Indirect objects are preceded by à or pour, and they can be people or animals. They can be replaced by indirect object pronouns. They receive the action of the verb. It is important to note that indirect object pronouns cannot replace places or things following the preposition à. For those, you need to use the pronoun Y.

The verb being used is very important when determining whether they are followed by French direct and indirect object pronouns. Many times, French verbs need prepositions while the English equivalent does not.

What Is a Direct Object?

A direct object answers the question:
Who? or What?

It is directly affected by the action of the verb.

Examples:

J’achète le livre. → Je l’achète.
(I’m buying the book → I’m buying it.)
Je regarde le film. → Je le regarde.
(I’m watching the movie → I’m watching it.)

Direct Object Pronouns:

le (him, it – masculine)
la (her, it – feminine)
les (them – plural)

What Is an Indirect Object?

An indirect object answers the question:
To whom? or For whom?

It usually follows the preposition à (to).

Examples:

Je parle à mon frère. → Je lui parle.
(I’m speaking to my brother → I’m speaking to him.)
Nous écrivons à nos parents. → Nous leur écrivons.
(We’re writing to our parents → We’re writing to them.)

Indirect Object Pronouns:

lui (to him / to her)
leur (to them)

How to Place Pronouns in a Sentence

In simple tenses (like present, imparfait, futur simple), the pronoun goes before the verb.

Examples:

Tu donnes le cadeau à Marie → Tu le lui donnes.
(You give the gift to Marie → You give it to her.)

When using both direct and indirect pronouns together, the order is:
me, te, nous, vous ➡ le, la, les ➡ lui, leur ➡ y ➡ en

NOTE: With affirmative commands, the order changes:

Donne-le-lui ! (Give it to him/her!)

Astuces de Jennifer

Be careful with le and lui — they look similar but are different.
- le = direct object
- lui = indirect object
When replacing both a direct and indirect object in one sentence, you need both pronouns:
- Je donne le livre à Paul → Je le lui donne.
In negative sentences, the pronouns still go before the verb:
- Je ne le vois pas. (I don’t see him/it.)
With infinitives, place the pronouns before the infinitive verb:
- Je vais le lui donner. (I’m going to give it to him/her.)

Summary Table

Role	Question Answered	French Pronoun(s)	Example
Direct Object	Who? / What?	le, la, les	Je le vois. (I see him/it.)
Indirect Object	To whom? / For whom?	lui, leur	Je lui parle. (I talk to him.)

Practice Tips

Identify objects in a sentence first. Ask yourself: What’s the action? Who is affected directly? Who receives it?
Practice rewriting full sentences with both direct and indirect object pronouns.
Start with sentences using only one object, then combine both types.

Unfortunately, there are no rules to determine when French verbs need to be followed by prepositions. You just have to memorize them. Here is a list of common verbs followed by the preposition à when followed by nouns, and another list of common verbs that do not require prepositions.