Language/French/Grammar/Position-of-object-pronouns-with-infinitives

Position of object pronouns with infinitives

Rule

When the verb governing a direct or indirect object pronoun is an infinitive (including a compound infinitive made up of an auxiliary verb and a past participle), direct and indirect objects usually come in front of the infinitive:

Examples

• On peut toujours lui téléphoner

He can always he reached by phone

• Il pourra te voir demain

He will be able to see you tomorrow

• Nous irons leur raconter l'histoire demain

We will go and tell them what happened tomorrow

• Il pourrait bien l'avoir dit

He may well have said that

Note

NB: When à or de followed by le or les come before the infinitive, these forms do NOT combine to form au, du, aux, des: je suis obligé de les aider.

Related Lessons

• Comparing neutral ce, cela, ça with personal il ils and elle elles
• Use of the definite article with names of languages
• "C'est" or "Ce sont"
• Differences in the use of numbers in French and English Order of cardinal numbers and adjectives
• Plural forms of adjectives — Adjectives which end in al
• Stressed pronouns standing alone
• Verbs with prepositions
• il or ça alternating with noun phrase subjects
• Mass nouns used countably
• on as an equivalent for nous
• on as an alternative to the English passive
• Inversion of subject and verb after some sentence initial adverbs
• Homophones
• Conjugation group 3
• Agreement with a preceding direct object pronoun when the participle is followed by infinitives