Download Direct Object Pronouns

Direct Object Pronouns
Direct object pronouns (D.O.Ps) are words that replace the ‘object’ in the sentence. The ‘object’ is the noun that is affected by the verb. For example, ‘I studied English’. ‘English’ is the object because it is the noun relating to the verb ‘studied’ in this sentence. If we wanted to change this to a direct object pronoun, we would say ‘I studied it’. I. Formation
The French formation of direct object pronouns changes according to number and gender. French D.O.P English D.O.P Me Me Te You Le (L’) Him/It (masculine noun) La (L’) Her/It (feminine noun) Nous Us Vous You Les Them II. Position of Direct Object Pronouns
1. Present Tense
The direct object pronoun is placed before the verb in the present tense. For example, ‘J’adore les fraises’ (I love strawberries) becomes ‘Je les adore’ (I love them). Another common example is ‘Je t’aime’ (I love you). 2. Perfect Tense with ‘Avoir’
With the perfect tense that takes ‘avoir’, the direct object pronoun is placed before ‘avoir’. For example, ‘Nous avons pris nos documents’ (We took our documents) becomes ‘Nous les avons pris’ (We took them). An important point to note with the perfect tense and ‘avoir’ is that the past participle agrees with the direct object pronoun in gender and number. For example, ‘Vous avez fait la vaisselle’ (You did the washing up) would become ‘Vous l’avez faite’ (You did it). The ‘e’ is added to the past participle to show that the object is feminine. This only happens when the direct object pronoun is put before the verb. 3. Perfect Tense with ‘Etre’
The perfect tense with ‘être’ doesn’t tend to take direct object pronouns, since it doesn’t work with the small number of verbs that take ‘être’. It doesn’t make sense to ‘arrive something/someone’ or to ‘go something/someone’ etc. 4. Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense takes a direct object pronoun before the verb. For example, ‘Il préférait les livres’ (He used to prefer books) becomes ‘Il les préférait’ (He used to prefer them). 5. Future Tense and Immediate Future
The direct object pronoun is placed before the verb in the future tense. For example, ‘Nous regarderons le film ce soir’ (We will watch the film tonight) becomes ‘Nous le regarderons ce soir’ (We will watch it tonight). However, in the immediate future tense we place the direct object pronoun before the verb in the infinitive. For example, ‘Elles vont ouvrir les cadeaux’ (They (f) are going to open the presents) becomes ‘Elles vont les ouvrir’ (They (f) are going to open them). 6. Conditional Tense
Again, the direct object pronoun is placed before the verb in the conditional tense. For example, ‘Si je pouvais, je ferais de la planche à voile’ (If I could, I would go windsurfing) would become ‘Si je pouvais, je la ferais’ (If I could, I would do it). 7. Position of Direct Object Pronouns Negative
Constructions
When placing direct object pronouns in negative sentences, we just move the ‘ne’ from before the verb to before the direct object pronoun. This is the same throughout the examples already mentioned above. Below are the same examples, but in the negative form. Je ne les adore pas – I don’t love them. Nous ne les avons pas pris – We didn’t take them. Vous ne l’avez pas faite – You didn’t do it (when ‘it’ is referring to something feminine). Il ne les préférait pas – They didn’t prefer them. Nous ne le regarderons pas ce soir – We won’t watch it this evening. The first exception to this rule is with the immediate future. The ‘ne…pas’ goes around the verb ‘aller’, while the direct object pronoun is placed before the infinitive verb following ‘aller’. The negative with the same example from above would be: Elles ne vont pas les ouvrir (They (f) aren’t going to open them). Multiple Choice Questions
1. What are direct object pronouns (D.O.Ps)? a) They are normal pronouns b) They are the same as subject pronouns c) They are the same as reflexive pronouns d) They are pronouns that replace the object in the sentence (e.g. me, you, it etc.) 2. How is their formation in French different to the English formation? a) It is a different language! b) In French, the formation changes according to gender. c) In English, the formation changes according to gender and number. d) In French, the formation changes according to gender and number. 3. Where is the D.O.P placed in a sentence using the perfect tense with avoir? a) Before ‘avoir’. b) After ‘avoir’ c) Before the subject pronoun. d) All of the above, in different circumstances. 4. Where is the D.O.P placed in a sentence using the present tense? a) After the verb. b) Before the verb. c) Before the subject pronoun. d) All of the above, in different circumstances. 5. What is important to remember about the past participle of the perfect tense with avoir? a) It never changes – no matter what you say in the sentence. b) It changes according to the gender and number of the D.O.P – no matter where it is in the sentence. c) It changes according to the gender and number of the D.O.P if it is placed after the verb in the sentence. d) It changes according to the gender and number of the D.O.P if it is placed before the verb in the sentence. 6. Where is the D.O.P placed in a sentence using the imperfect tense? a) After the verb. b) Before the subject pronoun. c) Before the verb. d) Sometimes before the verb, sometimes after the verb. 7. Which sentence below is correct? a) Je t’aime. b) Je t’aimes. c) Tu j’aime. d) Tu t’aime. 8. What is the error in this sentence ‘Nous les n’avons pas pris? a) It is correct. b) ‘Pris’ should be ‘prises’. c) ‘Ne’ should be before the direct object pronoun ‘les’. d) It should be ‘vous’ instead of ‘nous’. 9. How is a D.O.P used in a sentence with the immediate future tense? a) It isn’t. b) The ‘ne…pas’ goes around the conjugated verb ‘aller’. c) The ‘ne…pas’ goes around the infinitive verb. d) The ‘ne…pas’ goes around the subject pronoun. 10. What is the general rule for using D.O.Ps in negative sentences? a) The ‘ne…pas’ generally goes around the verb and the D.O.P. b) The ‘ne…pas’ goes around the verb. c) The ‘ne…pas’ goes around the D.O.P. d) There is no general rule for this, as all the placements are different in different sentences. Answers: 1. D 2. D 3. A 4. B 5. D 6. C 7. A 8. C 9. B 10. B