Download D. French Object Pronouns

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French Object Pronouns
Pronoms objets
Object pronouns are those tricky little words in sentences that replace nouns affected
by verbs. There are two types:
1) Direct object pronouns (pronoms objets directs) replace the people or things
that receive the action of the verb in a sentence.
2) Indirect object pronouns (pronoms objets indirects) replace the people in a
sentence to/for whom the action of the verb occurs.
In addition, adverbial pronouns work in conjunction with the object pronouns:
Y replaces à (or another preposition of place) + noun
En replaces de + noun
Reflexive pronouns also come into play, particularly when trying to figure out word
order for double object pronouns.
It is important to understand each of these concepts, because they are very commonly
used and without them there is a certain "bulkiness" in French. Once you begin using
object and adverbial pronouns, your French will sound a lot more natural.
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A. French Direct Objects and Direct Object Pronouns
Complément d'objet direct (COD)
Direct objects are the people or things in a sentence which receive the action of the verb. To find the direct object
in a sentence, ask the question Who? or What?
I see Pierre.
Je vois Pierre.
Who do I see? Pierre.
I'm eating the bread
Je mange le pain.
What am I eating? - Bread.
Direct object pronouns are the words that replace the direct object, so that we don't say things like "Marie was at the
bank today. When I saw Marie I smiled." It's much more natural to say "Marie was at the bank today. When I saw her
I smiled." The French direct object pronouns are
me / m' me
te / t' you
le / l' him, it
la / l' her, it
nous us
vous you
les them
Me and te change to m' and t', respectively, in front of a vowel or mute H. Le and la both change to l'.
Like indirect object pronouns, French direct object pronouns are placed in front of the verb. Traduisez:
I'm eating it.
__________________________
I love you.
__________________________
He sees her.
__________________________
You love me.
______________________
B. Agreement with French Compound Verbs
Accord avec les verbes composés
If you're familiar with the passé composé, you know that certain French verbs have to agree with their subjects. In
addition, you may know that this is true for all compound verb tenses and moods. What you may not be aware of is
that some verbs require agreement not with the subject of the sentence, but with the direct object. This issue of
agreement can be rather tricky, so here is a thorough but (hopefully) accessible explanation.
When dealing with French compound verb constructions, there are three kinds of agreement.
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A. Agreement with subject
1. Être verbs
When conjugating être verbs (aller, venir, tomber, etc.) in the passé composé or another
compound verb form, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject of the
sentence.
Elle est allée.
____________________
Nous étions arrivés.
____________________
Elles sont venues.
____________________
Ils seront retournés.
They will have returned.
2. Passive voice
Likewise, verbs conjugated in the passive voice must agree in gender and number with their
subject - not their agent.
Les voitures sont lavées par
mon fils.
________________________________________
Ma mère est aimée de tous
mes amis.
________________________________________
Les livres sont lus par les
étudiants.
________________________________________
B. Agreement with direct object
Avoir verbs: The majority of French verbs are conjugated with avoir in the compound tenses and do
not agree with their subjects. However, avoir verbs require agreement with their direct objects or
direct object pronouns when these precede the verb. (There is no agreement when the direct object
follows the verb or with an indirect object.)
Il a vu Marie. / Il l'a vue.
He saw Marie. / ____________________
Elle a acheté des livres. / Elle
les a achetés.
She bought some books. / ____________________
As-tu lu les livres que j'ai
achetés?
Have you read the books I bought.
Tu avais perdu les clés. / Tu
les avais perdues.
You had lost the keys. / ____________________
J'ai trouvé les clés que tu
avais perdues.
I found the keys that you had lost.
C. Agreement with direct object/subject
Reflexive verbs: Reflexive verbs are a combination of all of the above. All reflexive verbs take être in
the compound tenses, but the past participles do not necessarily agree with their subjects. When the
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reflexive pronoun is the direct object of the sentence, the past participle must agree with it (the
direct object and subject are one and the same).
Elle s'est couchée à minuit.
________________________________________
Ils se sont arrêtés à la
banque.
________________________________________
Ana, tu t'es lavée ?
________________________________________
D. Try these to practice:
1. Où est la plante que tu as _____ ?
a. acheté
11. Guy nous a _____ travailler.
a. fait
b. achetée
12. Nous nous sommes _____ des histoires.
2. Les peintures que j'ai _____ hier sont très jolies.
a. vu
a. dit
b. vues
a. acheté
b. trouvée
4. Elles ont _____ ensemble.
a. travaillé
b. achetée
14. Elle s'est _____ mal.
b. travaillées
a. fait
5. Son idée a été _____ par la comité.
a. rejeté
b. dits
13. Elle s'est _____ des vêtements.
3. J'ai perdu ma plume. L'as-tu _____ ?
a. trouvé
b. faits
b. faite
15. Martine s'est _____ à 6h00.
b. rejetée
a. levé
6. Ma femme s'était déjà _____ à 5h00.
b. levée
16. Sophie est _____.
a. levé
b. levée
7. Nous avons _____ des amis.
a. tombé
b. tombée
17. Je te présente Pauline, dont je t'ai _____ hier.
a. vu
b. vus
a. parlé
b. parlée
8. Nous nous sommes _____.
18. Elles sont _____ le même jour.
a. habillé
b. habillés
a. né
9. Regarde Marie. Un étranger lui a _____ des
bonbons.
a. donné
19. Francine s'est _____ si c'était une bonne idée.
a. demandé
b. donnée
b. demandée
20. Elles sont _____ de tout le monde.
10. Je les ai _____.
a. mangé
b. nées
a. respecté
b. mangés
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b. respectées
C. French Indirect Objects and Indirect Object Pronouns
Complément d'objet indirect (COI)
Indirect objects are the people or things in a sentence to or for whom/what* the action of the verb occurs.
I'm talking to Pierre.
Je parle à Pierre.
To whom am I talking? To Pierre.
He buys books for the students
Il achète des livres pour les étudiants.
For whom does he buy books? - For the students.
*"For" only in the sense of a recipient (I bought the gift for you), not when it means "on behalf of" (he speaks for all
the members).
Indirect object pronouns are the words that replace the indirect object, and in French they can only refer to a person
or other animate noun.(1) The French indirect object pronouns are
me / m' me
te / t' you
lui him, her
nous us
vous you
leur them
Me and te change to m' and t', respectively, in front of a vowel or mute H.
Like direct object pronouns, French indirect object pronouns are usually(2) placed in front of the verb.
I'm talking to him.
________________________________
I'm giving the bread to you.
________________________________
He buys books for them.
________________________________
She wrote to me.
________________________________
* When deciding between direct and indirect objects, the general rule is that if the person or thing is preceded by the
preposition à or pour, that person/thing is an indirect object.(1) If it's not preceded by a preposition, it is a direct
object.
(1) In English, an indirect object can be animate or inanimate. This is also true in French; however, an indirect object
pronoun can replace the indirect object only when it is an animate noun: person or animal. When you have an indirect
object that's not a person or animal, it can only be replaced with the adverbial pronoun y. So "pay attention to him"
would be fais attention à lui, but "pay attention to it" (e.g., the program, my explanation) would be fais-y attention learn more.
(2) With most verbs(3) and in most tenses and moods(4), when the indirect object pronoun is first or second person,
it has to precede the verb:
He's talking to me = Il me parle, not "Il parle à moi"
When the pronoun refers to the third person, you can use a stressed pronoun after the verb and the preposition à in
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order to stress the distinction between masculine and feminine:
I'm talking to her = Je lui parle, à elle
(3) In French, à plus a person can usually be replaced by an indirect object pronoun (COI):
J'ai donné le livre à mon frère - Je lui ai donné le livre.
I gave the book to my brother - I gave him the book.
Il parle à toi et à moi - Il nous parle.
He's talking to you and me - He's talking to us.
(4) However, a few French verbs and expressions* do not allow a preceding indirect object pronoun, and what to use
instead depends on whether the COI is a person or a thing.
COI = Person
When the indirect object is a person, you must keep the preposition à after the verb, and follow it with a stressed
pronoun:
Je pense à mes sœurs - Je pense à elles.
I'm thinking about my sisters - I'm thinking about them.
Wrong: xx Je leur pense xx Why is this wrong ? ___________________________________
Fais attention à ton prof - Fais attention à lui.
Pay attention to your teacher - Pay attention to him.
Wrong: xx Fais-lui attention xx Why is this wrong ? ________________________________
Il doit s'habituer à moi. (no change)
He has to get used to me.
Wrong: xx Il doit m'habituer xx Why is this wrong ? ________________________________
COI = Thing
When the indirect object is a thing, you have two choices: You can either keep the preposition à as above but follow it
with an indefinite demonstrative pronoun, or you can replace the preposition and indirect object with the adverbial
pronoun y (which then precedes the verb):
Je songe à notre jour de mariage - Je songe à cela, J'y songe.
I'm dreaming about our wedding day - I'm dreaming about it.
Wrong: xx Je lui songe xx Why is this wrong ? ___________________________________
Fais attention à la leçon - Fais attention à cela, Fais-y attention.
Pay attention to the lesson - Pay attention to it.
Wrong: xx Fais-lui attention xx Why is this wrong ? ________________________________
Il faut penser à tes responsabilités - Il faut penser à cela, Il faut y penser.
Think about your responsibilities - Think about them.
Wrong: xx Il faut lui penser xx Why is this wrong ? ________________________________
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*French verbs and expressions that don't allow a preceding indirect object pronoun
en appeler à
to appeal to, address
penser à
avoir affaire à
_________________________
to have to deal with
recourir à
avoir recours à
to have recourse to
to have recourse to
renoncer à
croire à
revenir à
être à
to give up, renounce
___________________________
_________________________
___________________________
rêver à
faire allusion à
___________________________
to allude to
songer à
faire appel à
faire attention à
s'habituer à
to think, dream of
to appeal to, address
tenir à
to be fond of, care about
venir à
___________________________
____________________
________________________
Try these for practice:
1. Je donne quelque chose à elles.
a. J'elles donne quelque chose
b. Je leur donne quelque chose
c. Je leurs donne quelque chose
d. Je les donne quelque chose.
2. Je parle à mon frère.
a. Je à lui parle
b. Je lui parle
c. J'il parle
d. Je le parle.
3. Ils parlent à toi.
a. Ils toi parlent
b. Ils te parlent
4. Il faut faire attention aux détails.
a. Il faut y faire attention
b. Il faut leur faire attention
c. Il faut leurs faire attention
d. Il faut les faire attention
5. Je téléphone à Alice.
a. Je à elle téléphone
b. Je lui téléphone
c. J'elle téléphone
d. Je la téléphone.
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c. Ils parlent toi
6. Il pense à Aimée.
a. Il la pense
b. Il lui pense
c. Il elle pense
d. Il pense à elle
7. Elle écrit souvent à nous.
a. Elle à nous écrit souvent
b. Elle écrit souvent nous
c. Elle nous écrit souvent
8. Nous demandons à Lise et Agnès.
a. Nous nous demandons
b. Nous leurs demandons
c. Nous leur demandons
d. Nous leures demandons
e. Nous elles demandons
9. Il répond à moi.
a. Il moi répond
b. Il me répond
c. Il répond me
b. Elle il conseille.
c, Elle conseille lui.
10. Elle conseille au professeur.
a. Elle lui conseille
D. French Object Pronouns
1. Word order
Object pronouns go in front of the verb in all* tenses, simple and compound. In compound tenses, the pronouns
precede the auxiliary verb. But in dual-verb constructions, where there are two different verbs, the object pronouns
go in front of the second verb. Traduisez.
Simple tenses
Je lui parle. - ________________________________
Il t'aime. - ________________________________
Nous le faisions. - ________________________________
Compound tenses
Je lui ai parlé. - ________________________________
Il t'aurait aimé. – He would love you.
Nous l'avons fait. - ________________________________
Dual-verb constructions
Je dois lui parler. - ________________________________
Il peut t'aimer. - ________________________________
Nous détestons le faire. - ________________________________
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*Except the affirmative imperative
Fais-le. - ________________________________
Aime-moi. - ________________________________
2. Direct vs Indirect Objects
If you have trouble figuring out whether something is a direct or indirect object, consider these rules:
a) A person or thing not preceded by a preposition is a direct object.
J'ai acheté le livre. > Je l'ai acheté.
I bought the book. > I bought it.
b) A person preceded by the preposition à or pour* is an indirect object
J'ai acheté un livre pour Paul - Je lui ai acheté un livre.
I bought a book for Paul - I bought him a book.
*Pour only in the sense of a recipient (Je l'ai acheté pour toi > Je te l'ai acheté), not when it means "on behalf of" (Il
parle pour nous).
c) A person preceded by any other preposition cannot be replaced by an object pronoun
J'ai acheté le livre de Paul. > Je l'ai acheté (but "de Paul" is lost)
I bought Paul's book. > I bought it.
d) A thing preceded by any preposition can't be replaced by an object pronoun in French:
Je l'ai acheté pour mon bureau. > "Bureau" cannot be replaced by an object pronoun
I bought it for my office.
More examples:
J'ai dit la vérité à toi et Marie > Je vous ai dit la vérité. - I told you and Marie the truth > I told you (both) the truth.
When the indirect objects toi et Marie are replaced by vous, there is no preposition visible. However, if you look up the
verb dire in the dictionary, it will say something like "to tell someone something" = dire quelque chose à quelqu'un.
Thus the French preposition is implied and the person you are telling ("you") is in fact an indirect object while the
thing being told ("the truth") is the direct object.
J'écoute la radio. > Je l'écoute. - ___________________________ > _______________________
Even though there is a preposition in English, the French verb écouter means "to listen to" - it is not followed by a
preposition and thus in French "radio" is a direct object while in English it is an indirect object.
3. Pronoms objets - Position et ordre
Word order for most tenses and moods
me
te
se
nous
vous
le
la
les
lui
y
leur
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en
Try these for practice:
Test what you’ve learned by rewriting the following sentences using pronouns in place of the nouns. You should
replace two nouns in each sentence Feel free to look back at the lesson.
1. Je parle de la politique à ma sœur. ______________________________________________________________
2. J'amène mon copain à la fête. ______________________________________________________________
3. Tu lis le livre à ton frère ? ______________________________________________________________
4. Il donne les devoirs à son prof. ______________________________________________________________
5. Nous écrivons la lettre à nos parents. ______________________________________________________________
6. Give us the present. ______________________________________________________________
7. They see you guys at the beach. ______________________________________________________________
8. You are telling me the truth. ______________________________________________________________
9. Tell me the answer. ______________________________________________________________
10. He's giving it to them. ______________________________________________________________
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