How to Teach French Verb Falloir – A French Teacher’s Guide
If your students already know the expression il faut + infinitive, they have already learned one of the most useful ways to use the French verb falloir. The next step is helping them understand what happens when falloir is used with an indirect object pronoun.
This is one of those French structures that can feel strange to English speakers because the sentence is organized differently from the English equivalent. I find that the easiest way to teach it is to start with what students already know and then gradually add the idea of a specific person.
French Falloir (Il Faut) – General vs Personal – Foldable Lesson Handout Book
Start with Il faut + infinitive
I begin by reviewing the most basic use of falloir.
Falloir is an impersonal verb, which means that it is only used with il. Students should not try to conjugate it according to the person who needs to do something.
The basic structure is:
Il faut + infinitive
This means that something is necessary or that someone must do something in a general sense.
Il faut étudier.
It is necessary to study.
You must study.
Il faut travailler.
It is necessary to work.
You must work.
Il faut finir le projet.
It is necessary to finish the project.
I point out to students that the French sentence doesn’t actually tell us who needs to do these things. The meaning is general.
This is an important first step because students often want to translate you must with a form of devoir. That’s certainly possible in many situations, but il faut is an extremely common French way to express necessity.
Then introduce a specific person
Once students are comfortable with il faut + infinitive, I introduce the idea of saying that something is necessary for a specific person.
This is where indirect object pronouns come in.
The structure becomes:
Il + indirect object pronoun + faut + infinitive
The pronouns students need are:
me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur
For example:
Il me faut étudier.
I need to study.
Il te faut travailler.
You need to work.
Il lui faut finir le projet.
He or she needs to finish the project.
Il nous faut partir.
We need to leave.
This can seem strange at first because English makes the person who needs to do something the subject:
I need to study.
French doesn’t do that with falloir. Instead, French literally expresses the idea of:
It is necessary for me to study.
That’s why me is an indirect object pronoun.
Make the word order very clear
This is the part I emphasize most when teaching this structure.
The indirect object pronoun goes before faut because pronouns go before the conjugated verb.
So students need to learn:
Il me faut
Il te faut
Il lui faut
Il nous faut
Il vous faut
Il leur faut
For example:
Il me faut étudier.
I need to study.
Il nous faut partir.
We need to leave.
I also like to introduce a very simple noun example at this point because it makes the meaning especially clear:
Il me faut un stylo.
I need a pen.
Literally, the structure is closer to:
A pen is necessary for me.
Again, me identifies the person for whom the thing is necessary.
Use falloir with a noun
Students will often encounter falloir with a noun rather than an infinitive.
The structure is:
Il + indirect object pronoun + faut + noun
For example:
Il me faut un stylo.
I need a pen.
Il lui faut du temps.
He or she needs time.
Il nous faut des billets.
We need tickets.
This is a very useful structure for beginners because it comes up constantly in everyday French.
I encourage students to think of il me faut as a chunk rather than trying to translate the sentence word for word every time.
Il me faut… = I need…
Il te faut… = You need…
Il lui faut… = He/She needs…
Il nous faut… = We need…
This helps make the unusual French word order feel much more natural.
Next, move into the passé composé
Once students understand the present-tense structure, I introduce the passé composé.
The good news is that falloir uses avoir in the passé composé.
The form students need to know is:
Il a fallu
And because falloir is impersonal, the verb stays with il.
For example:
Il a fallu attendre.
It was necessary to wait.
Il a fallu travailler.
It was necessary to work.
Il a fallu finir le projet.
It was necessary to finish the project.
There is no j’ai fallu, nous avons fallu, or ils ont fallu. Students should always think of il a fallu as the past-tense form of falloir.
Add the indirect object pronouns to the passé composé
The same basic idea applies when we specify who needed to do something.
The structure becomes:
Il + indirect object pronoun + a fallu + infinitive
For example:
Il m’a fallu étudier.
I had to study.
Il lui a fallu partir.
He or she had to leave.
Il nous a fallu attendre.
We had to wait.
Again, English uses the person as the subject:
I had to study.
French continues to use the impersonal il and identifies the person with an indirect object pronoun:
Il m’a fallu étudier.
This is another place where I remind students not to try to make falloir agree with the person.
Use falloir with a noun in the past
The same structure works with nouns.
Il m’a fallu un stylo.
I needed a pen.
Il leur a fallu du courage.
They needed courage.
The important thing is that the indirect object pronoun still comes before the verb:
Il m’a fallu…
Il nous a fallu…
Il leur a fallu…
The form of falloir remains il a fallu.
Compare general and specific necessity
One of the best ways I find to help students understand this structure is to put the general and specific versions side by side.
Il faut étudier.
It is necessary to study.
Il me faut étudier.
I need to study.
The first sentence expresses a general necessity. The second tells us that the necessity applies specifically to me.
The same distinction works in the past:
Il a fallu étudier.
It was necessary to study.
Il m’a fallu étudier.
I had to study.
This comparison makes the purpose of the indirect object pronoun much clearer.
Point out the mistake English speakers are likely to make
When I teach this structure, I make sure students understand one very important rule:
You cannot say “Je faut.”
Students naturally want to translate:
I need to study.
Je faut étudier.
Falloir doesn’t work that way.
Instead:
Il me faut étudier.
Likewise:
We need to leave.
Il nous faut partir.
Not nous faut partir.
The person who needs something is represented by the indirect object pronoun, not by the subject of falloir.
Connect this lesson to indirect object pronouns
If students have already learned French indirect object pronouns, this lesson is a great opportunity to reinforce them in a meaningful context.
They already know:
me = to me
te = to you
lui = to him / to her
nous = to us
vous = to you
leur = to them
Now they can see those same pronouns being used with falloir:
Il me faut…
I need…
Il te faut…
You need…
Il lui faut…
He/She needs…
Il nous faut…
We need…
Il vous faut…
You need…
Il leur faut…
They need…
This is why I like teaching falloir with indirect object pronouns after students have some familiarity with pronoun placement. It gives them another very practical reason to understand how these pronouns work.
Finish with the pattern students should remember
By the end of the lesson, I want students to recognize three basic patterns.
General necessity:
Il faut + infinitive
Il faut étudier.
It is necessary to study.
Specific person:
Il + indirect object pronoun + faut + infinitive
Il me faut étudier.
I need to study.
Past necessity:
Il a fallu + infinitive
Il a fallu travailler.
It was necessary to work.
And when a specific person is involved:
Il + indirect object pronoun + a fallu + infinitive
Il m’a fallu travailler.
I had to work.
Once students understand that falloir is always impersonal and that the person who needs something is represented by an indirect object pronoun, this structure becomes much easier to recognize and use.
The key is not to translate the English sentence word for word. Instead, have students learn the French pattern:
Il me faut…
Il te faut…
Il lui faut…
Il nous faut…
Il vous faut…
Il leur faut…
Ready to Practice Falloir?
Once students understand the basic pattern of falloir with indirect object pronouns, the best way to make it stick is through repeated practice in context.
I’ve created French grammar resources that give students opportunities to practice these structures step by step, with clear explanations and plenty of examples and exercises.
If you’re looking for additional practice with falloir, indirect object pronouns, or related French grammar topics, you can find my resources on Teachers Pay Teachers.
French Falloir (Il Faut) – General vs Personal – Foldable Lesson Handout Book
French Verb FALLOIR With Indirect Object Pronouns – French Grammar Activity
French Il Faut | Falloir with Indirect Object Pronouns | Grammar Activities
