Language/French/Grammar/Restrictions-on-possible-combinations
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Restrictions on possible combinations
Table: The order of unstressed object pronouns
| First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| me | le | lui | en | |
| te | la | leur | y | |
| se | les | |||
| nous | ||||
| vous | ||||
Although The table above describes in general the possible sequences of unstressed object pronouns, there are some restrictions on possible combinations. No pronoun from the first column (me, te, se, nous, vous) can normally appear in combination with a pronoun from the third column (lui, leur):
Whilst
- Je vous présenterai Eve-Marie
I will introduce Eve-Marie to you
can, with two pronouns, become
- Je vous la présenterai
I will introduce her to you
the sentence
- Je vous présenterai à Eve-Marie
I will introduce you to Eve-Marie
cannot become
- Je vous lui présenterai
I will introduce you to her
Instead, you would use
- Je vous présenterai à elle
Whilst
- Je vous recommande Jean-Paul
I recommend Jean-Paul to you