How do you know when to use an indirect object pronoun in French?

You use an indirect object pronoun only to replace a noun that refers to a person, as in Paul parle à Marie (Paul talks to Marie). Certain verbs are always followed by the preposition à when they have a human object, so you have to use indirect objects (and IOPs) with them.

What are indirect pronouns used for?

An indirect object pronoun is used instead of a noun to show the person or thing an action is intended to benefit or harm, for example, me in He gave me a book.; Can you get me a towel?; He wrote to me.

What do indirect object pronouns replace in French?

Indirect object pronouns replace the names of people or nouns that come after the preposition à (to). For example: I gave it to James – I gave it to him.

How do you use indirect object pronouns in French?

The French indirect object pronouns are: me (m’), te (t’), lui in the singular, and nous, vous, leur in the plural. Except in orders and instructions telling someone to do something, the direct object pronoun comes before the verb.

What is the difference between direct and indirect object pronouns French?

A direct object, complément d’objet direct, is the recipient of the action of a transitive verb–it’s the noun that’s having the action done to it. An indirect object, complément d’objet indirect is an object in a sentence otherwise affected by the action of the transitive verb.

What are the direct and indirect object pronouns in French?

French Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns

French Direct Object Pronouns	French Indirect Object Pronouns	English Object Pronouns
La/L’	Lui	Her (It)
Nous	Nous	Us
Vous	Vous	You
Les	Leur	Them

What are direct object pronouns in French?

The French direct object pronouns are: me (m’), te (t’), le/la (l’) in the singular, and nous, vous, les in the plural.

What is the difference between direct and indirect object pronouns in French?

Object is a pronoun While third person pronouns have different forms depending on whether they’re direct (le, la, les) or indirect (lui, leur), first and second person direct and indirect pronouns are identical (me, nous, te, vous).

Is Lui him or her?

So, for a COI, lui means him AND her (unlike stress pronouns where lui means him, elle means her).

If it’s not preceded by a preposition, it is a direct object. If it’s preceded by any other preposition, it can’t be replaced by an object pronoun. Like direct object pronouns, French indirect object pronouns are usually placed in front of the verb. I’m talking to him. Je lui parle.

How do you replace an indirect object in French?

This is also true in French; however, an indirect object pronoun can replace the indirect object only when it is an animate noun: person or animal. When you have an indirect object that’s not a person or animal, it can only be replaced with the adverbial pronoun y.

What is Complément d’objet indirect in French?

Complément d’objet indirect or French indirect object pronoun is affected by the transitive verb in the sentence. These pronouns are a bit different from the previous ones:

Can you replace an object pronoun with a preposition in French?

If it’s preceded by any other preposition, it can’t be replaced by an object pronoun. Like direct object pronouns, French indirect object pronouns are usually placed in front of the verb. I’m talking to him. Je lui parle.