Indirect Object Pronouns in French
The indirect object is a word (or phrase) which joins the verb through a preposition to complete its meaning. It is a complement to the verb. It represents the person or thing that receives the action of the verb.
me / m' |
me |
te / t' |
you |
lui |
him, her |
nous |
we |
vous |
you |
leur |
them |
F Examples:
- Il lui parle - (He speaks to him/ her).
- Elle leur achète des jouets – ( She buys toys to them)
F To recognize the indirect object, you asks questions:
à quoi? |
to what? |
de qui? |
to who? |
de quoi? |
to what? |
pour qui? |
for whom? |
pour quoi? |
for what? |
contre qui? |
against what? |
contre qui? |
against whom? |
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In most cases, the indirect object is introduced by a preposition: "à" / "to" or "de"/"of". But there are sometimes other prepositions (il compte sur ton aide – He is counting on your help)
F The indirect object can be:
- A name: Il parle à sa femme - He talks to his wife
- A pronoun: Il lui donne - He gives to him
- An infinitive: Il demande à boire - He asked to drink
- A proposal: Il doute que vous soyez capable - He doubts that you are capable
F Examples:
- Je parle à Samantha/ I'm talking to Samantha
To whom am I talking? To Samantha
Il achète des fleurs pour ses sœurs / He buys flowers to his sisters
For whom does he buy flowers? - For his sisters
- Je vous donne le livre / I'm giving the book to you
- Elle m'a écrit / She wrote to me