how do you know when to use a direct or an indirect object pronoun?

Direct object pronouns: me, te, le, la, nous, vous, les me, you, him, her, us, you (pl), themIndirect object pronouns: me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur to me, to you, to him/her, to us, to you (pl), to themObject pronouns replace the noun in a sentencee.g. I see the book= je vois le livreWe must replace the noun le livre. As it is masculine we use the masculine object pronoun "le".Therefore: I see it (the book)= je le voisThis is replaced by a direct object as there is no preposition before the nounAn example of an indirect object is:I am calling John with my mobile= Je téléphone à Jean avec mon mobileBefore our object in this case we have the preposition à so we must use an indirect object pronoun, in this case lui.I am calling him with my mobile= Je lui téléphone avec mon mobileIndirect objects can be thought of as though you have to take a stop in the sentence before you arrive at the subject whereas with direct objects you arrive straight there without stopping in between subject and object.

LS
Answered by Lauren S. French tutor

1786 Views

See similar French A Level tutors

Related French A Level answers

All answers ▸

When do you use lui/leur?


A votre avis, quels sont les avantages de faire du sport et pourquoi est-ce que tant de jeunes n’en font pas assez ? Qu’est-ce qu’on peut faire pour encourager les jeunes à faire plus de sport ?


How can I get a high mark in the essay for the writing section?


What are the general rules regarding the use of the definite article in French?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning