Language/French/Grammar/Agreement-with-a-preceding-direct-object-pronoun-when-the-participle-is-followed-by-infinitives

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Agreement with a direct object pronoun placed before when the participle is followed by infinitives

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Definitions[edit | edit source]

Subject-verb agreement[edit | edit source]

The subject-verb agreement in French is the way to choose the correct ending for verbs in terms of grammatical persons, gender and number, depending on their subject.

Direct Object Pronoun[edit | edit source]

A direct object pronoun is a word such as "me", "him", "us" and "them", which is used instead of the noun to stand in for the person or thing most directly affected by the action expressed by the verb.

French direct object pronouns are:

French English French English
me (m’, moi) me nous us
te (t’, toi) you vous you
le (l’) him, it les them
la (l’) her, it

Infinitives[edit | edit source]

An infinitive is a verb form in which no one is performing the action.

  • In English, the word “to” always precedes the infinitive; for example: “to speak” is an infinitive.
  • In French, an infinitive has one of 3 endings: “-er”, “-ir”, or “-re”. For example “manger” (to eat), partir (to leave), and prendre (to take).

Verb preceded by a direct object pronoun and followed by an infinitive[edit | edit source]

When a verb is preceded by a direct object pronoun and followed by an infinitive, we say that the participle only agrees when:

  • the pronoun is the subject of the infinitive and
  • is the direct object of the verb containing the participle.

There is no agreement when it is the object of the infinitive.

This means that there will be an agreement, for example, in the following cases:

  • Céline a vu une voiture écraser son chat

Céline saw a car run her cat over ("une voiture" is the subject of "écraser" and the object of "vu")

  • Céline l'a vue écraser son chat

Céline saw it run her cat over

  • Pierre a regardé sa fille gagner la compétition

Pierre watched his daughter win the competition ("sa fille" is the subject of "gagner" and the object of "regardé")

  • Pierre l'a regardée gagner la compétition

Pierre watched her win the competition

  • On a entendu les voix résonner dans la grotte

We heard the voices echoing in the cave ("les voix" is the subject of "résonner" and the object of "entendu")

  • On les a entendues résonner dans la grotte

We heard them echoing in the cave

But no agreement in cases like the following:

  • Céline a vu écraser sa maison par une roche

Céline saw her house crushed by a rock ("sa maison" is the object of "écraser")

  • Céline l'a vu écraser par une roche

Céline saw it crushed by a rock

  • Pierre a regardé détruire la nature par des tracteurs

Pierre watched the nature being destroyed by tractors ("la nature" is the object of "détruire")

  • Pierre l'a regardé détruire par des tracteurs

Pierre watched it being destroyed by tractors

  • Derrière la maison, j'ai entendu chanter une chanson

Behind the house I heard (someone) singing a song ("une chanson" is the object of "chanter")

  • Derrière la maison, je l'ai entendu chanter

Behind the house I heard (someone) singing it

Verbs of perception / Verbs of movement[edit | edit source]

Verbs which can be preceded by direct object pronouns and followed by infinitives are verbs of perception like:

  • entendre

to hear

  • écouter

to listen to

  • voir

to see

(...)

Verbs of movement like:

  • emmener

to take

  • amener

bring

  • envoyer

to send

(...)

can also be followed by infinitives with subjects that give rise to an agreement:

  • J'ai emmené mes amis prendre le repas à la maison

I took my friends to have meal at home ("mes amis" is the subject of "prendr"e and the object of "emmené")

  • Je les ai emmenés prendre le repas à la maison

I took them to have meal at home

  • Jean a envoyé les stagiaires chercher des enveloppes

Jean sent the interns to look for envelopes ("les stagiaires" is the subject of "chercher" and the object of "envoyer")

  • Jean les a envoyées chercher des enveloppes

Jean sent them to look for envelopes.

Verb "laisser"[edit | edit source]

The verb "laisser" follows the same pattern:

  • Nous avons laissé les ados aller à la plage tout seuls

We let the teens go to the beach on their own ("les ados" is the subject of "aller" and the object of "laisser")

  • Nous les avons laissés aller à la plage tout seuls

We let them go on to the beach on their own

  • Les voisins ont laissé les chats jouer à l'extérieur

The neighbors let the cats play outside ("les chats" is the subject of jouer and the object of "laissé")

  • Les voisins les ont laissés jouer à l'extérieur

The neighbours let them play outside

The verb "Faire", on the other hand, is an exception. When followed by an infinitive, its past participle does not agree with direct object placed before:

  • Nous les avons fait (NOT "faits") partir à la plage tout seuls

We made them go to the beach on their own

  • Les voisins les ont fait (NOT "faits") jouer à l'extérieur

The neighbors made them play outside

NB: Perception verbs and the verb "laisser" can sometimes allow a following infinitive with either a previous subject or a following subject:

  • "J'ai entendu les gens crier" or "J'ai entendu cier les gens"

I heard people shout

  • "J'ai laissé les ados partir" or "J'ai laissé partir les ados"

I let the teens leave

In any case, if the subject of the infinitive is converted to an unstressed pronoun, there will be an agreement with the past participle:

  • Je les ai entendus crier

I heard them shout

  • Je les ai laissés partir

I let them go

Other Chapters[edit | edit source]

Table of Contents

Nouns


Determiners


Personal and impersonal pronouns


Adjectives


Adverbs


Numbers, measurements, time and quantifiers


Verb forms


Verb constructions


Verb and participle agreement


Tense


The subjunctive, modal verbs, exclamatives and imperatives


The infinitive


Prepositions


Question formation


Relative clauses


Negation


Conjunctions and other linking constructions

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