Language/French/Grammar/Direct-object-and-indirect-object-pronouns-differences-between-English-and-French

Here you will find what direct and indirect object pronouns are and how to use them to speak in French. This is a tricky part of grammar, so don't be discouraged if you don't understand it at first. The main thing is to keep trying and practicing and soon it will come naturally to you.

Direct object and indirect object pronouns (COD/COI) : differences between English and French

By using direct and indirect object pronouns in your French, you can reduce your sentences and make them flow more naturally, allowing you to become more fluent.

Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: Possessive determiners, Omission of the article, The present & Impersonal Verbs.

Direct object pronouns

Direct object pronouns in French and English are a way to shorten sentences. They are used in place of a name, so for example, instead of saying, the work is over there, you would say it is over there. In this case, "work" is the noun which is replaced by the direct pronoun "that".

Indirect object pronouns

Indirect pronouns in French and English are similar to direct pronouns with regard to their use. It is used to replace the noun which is the indirect subject of a verb. So, for example, if you said I raced with Martin, it would become I did it with him. In this case, "Martin" is the name which is replaced by the indirect pronoun "him".

Rule and Examples

The following common French verbs take indirect object pronouns; learners often treat them as if they required direct object pronouns, perhaps because their English equivalents take direct objects:

• Sa soeur lui a appris à parler espagnol

His sister taught him to speak Spanish (apprendre à qn à faire qc)

• Luc leur a conseillé de se taire

Luc advised them to be quiet (conseiller à qn de faire qc)

• Sa mère lui défendait de fumer à la maison

Her mother used to forbid her to smoke at home (défendre à qn de faire qc)

• Le film lui a (dé)plu

He (dis)liked the film ((dé)plaire à qn)

• Elle lui manque

He misses her (manquer à qn)

There are several verb constructions which tend to give rise to this problem, each slightly different.

Verbs followed by: à quelqu'un

French	English
... lui a téléphoné	phoned him
... lui a survécu	outlived her
... lui a (dés)obéi	(dis)obeyed her
... lui a nui	disadvantaged him
... lui ressemble	looks like him

Verbs followed by: quelque chose à quelqu'un

French	English
... lui a passé le sel	passed her the salt
... lui a permis du repos	allowed him some rest
... lui a promis une lettre	promised her a letter
... lui a reproché son attitude	criticized her attitude
... lui a enseigné le chant	taught him to sing
... lui a donné un cadeau	gave her a present
... lui a envoyé un colis	sent her a package
... lui a offert un whisky	offered her a whisky

Verbs followed by: à quelqu'un de faire quelque chose

French	English
lui a ordonné de signer	ordered him to sign
lui a dit de se taire	told him to shut up
lui a demandé de partir	. asked him to leave
lui a permis de l'acheter	allowed her to buy it

The following common French verbs take direct objects; learners often treat them as if they required indirect objects, perhaps because of a confusion over the status of à (or sometimes de) which these verbs require when they are followed by an infinitive:

• Je l'ai aidé à changer la roue

I helped him to change the wheel

• Le professeur l'avait encouragé à participer

The teacher had encouraged him to take part

• Je les ai persuadés de venir

I persuaded them to come

Others:

French	English
l'a contraint à rester	. forced him to stay
l'a dissuadée	. dissuaded her
l'a empêché de courir	. stopped him from running
l'a forcée à rester	. forced her to stay
l'a invité à dîner	. invited him to dinner
l'a menacée	. threatened her
l'a obligé à parler	. forced him to talk
l'a remerciée	. thanked her

Sources

• https://www.talkinfrench.com/direct-and-indirect-object-pronouns/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzb3evkL0Og

Videos

Other Lessons

• Adverbs ending in —amment and —eminent derived from adjectives ending in —ant or —ent
• Pronominal verbs and body parts
• L’on VS on
• Auxiliary
• Polite Form
• Adverbs ending in —ment derived from nouns
• Use of the definite article to indicate a habitual action
• Constructions which do not allow indirect object pronouns
• "J'ai eu" or "j'avais"
• Differences in the use of numbers in French and English Kings, queens and popes
• Summary table of articles
• How to use falloir
• How to Use Be
• Past participles used as adjectives with the verb "être"
• Common quantifiers