French Direct Object Pronouns
Questions This Article Answers
What's a direct object pronoun?
What is a direct object in French?
What are the direct object pronouns in French?
How do you use direct object pronouns in French?
How do I know when to use direct vs indirect object pronouns in French?
What's an Object?
Let's start from the beginning. In order to understand what a direct object pronoun is, you must first understand what an object is. An object is the word—or group of words—that the verb is acting on. For example:
In the first sentence, the verb is écrire(to write). The subject is ma mère (my mother) because she is performing the action of writing. The object is une lettre (a letter) because it is what is being acted on.
In the second sentence, the verb is aimer(to love). The subject is j' (I) because I am performing the action of loving. The object is ma mère (my mother) because she is the one who is receiving my affection. So, an object is not necessarily a thing. In grammar, an object can be a person!
Direct vs. Indirect Objects
Now that you know what an object is, you should know that there are two main types of objects: direct objects and indirect objects. In this article, we will only talk about direct objects in French. A direct object in French is an object that does not start with a preposition (like preposition à[to]). Objects that start with a preposition are indirect objects. For example: Je parle à ma mère.(I'm talking to my mom.) The object à ma mère is an indirect object.
What's an Object Pronoun?
An object pronoun is an object that has been turned into a pronoun, usually to avoid repeating the object. If we didn't have pronouns, our language would sound so repetitive! For example: Do you know my mother? My mother was born in Poland, and my mother moved to France in the 1970s. Then, my mother met my father... Thanks to pronouns like she (subject pronoun) and her (object pronoun), we can get straight to the point!
Direct Object Pronouns in French
Let's take a look at the direct object pronouns in French!
The Direct Object Pronouns in French
| French | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| me | me | |
| te | you | |
| le | him, it | |
| la | her, it | |
| se | himself, herself, itself | reflexive |
| nous | us | |
| vous | you or you all | |
| les | them | |
| se | themselves | reflexive |
They are used for any direct object of a sentence! For example:
Direct Object Pronoun Placement in French
When you use a direct object pronoun, it goes before the verb in French, even if the "full", non-pronoun direct object would go after the verb. If the verb is in a compound tense (like the passé composé), the direct object pronoun will go before the auxiliary verb avoir(have) or être(be).
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Past Participle Agreement with a Direct Object Pronoun
Last but not least, you should know that when a direct object pronoun is placed before the verb—and when that verb is in a compound tense—the past participle will agree in gender and in number with the direct object!
These rules do not apply to indirect object pronouns, nor do they apply to direct objects that are placed after the verb!
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Learn all about pronouns in French with these articles!
