Direct and indirect object pronouns (COD/COI)
A2 Les pronoms compléments (COD et COI) 23 / 52
In short
Object pronouns replace a noun already mentioned so you do not repeat it: direct (COD) answers who/what?, indirect (COI) answers to whom?. In French they go before the verb - Je le vois (I see him), Je lui parle (I speak to him).
The rule
English keeps the object after the verb (I see her, I call them). French does the opposite: the pronoun jumps in front of the conjugated verb. The first job is to tell a direct object from an indirect one.
Direct object (COD) - the verb acts on the noun with no preposition: Je vois Marie -> Je la vois. Ask voir qui/quoi? (see who/what?).
Indirect object (COI) - the verb links to a person through the preposition à: Je parle à Marie -> Je lui parle. Ask parler à qui? (speak to whom?). COI pronouns replace à + a person.
Direct object (COD): me, te, le, la, nous, vous, les
- me (me), te (you), le (him/it, masc.), la (her/it, fem.), nous (us), vous (you), les (them).
- Tu me regardes. (You look at me.)
- Elle le connait. (She knows him.) - le replaces a masculine noun.
- Je les achète. (I buy them.)
- Elision: me, te, le, la drop the vowel before a vowel or mute h: Il m’aime, Je l’invite, On t’écoute.
Indirect object (COI): me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur
- me (to me), te (to you), lui (to him/to her - same form for both), nous (to us), vous (to you), leur (to them).
- Je lui téléphone. (I phone him or her.)
- Nous leur écrivons. (We write to them.)
- Common à-verbs: parler à, téléphoner à, écrire à, répondre à, donner à, dire à, demander à, offrir à, plaire à.
- Note: lui and leur never elide (both start with a consonant sound).
Position: conjugated verb, infinitive, imperative
- Before the conjugated verb (the default): Je te comprends. In the negative, the pronoun stays glued to the verb: Je ne le vois pas.
- Passé composé: the pronoun sits before the auxiliary: Je l’ai vu. With a COD, the past participle agrees with it: Les clés? Je les ai perdues. (COI never triggers agreement.)
- With an infinitive: the pronoun goes before the verb it belongs to - usually the infinitive: Je vais le faire. Tu peux lui parler.
- Affirmative imperative: the pronoun comes after the verb, joined by a hyphen, and me/te become moi/toi: Regarde-moi!, Donne-lui le livre!, Appelle-les!
- Negative imperative: back to the normal spot, before the verb: Ne me regarde pas!, Ne leur parle pas!
Forms & patterns
| Person | COD (direct) | COI (indirect, à + person) |
|---|---|---|
| 1sg | me (m’) | me (m’) |
| 2sg | te (t’) | te (t’) |
| 3sg masc. | le (l’) | lui |
| 3sg fem. | la (l’) | lui |
| 1pl | nous | nous |
| 2pl | vous | vous |
| 3pl | les | leur |
Only the third person differs: COD le / la / les vs COI lui / leur.
| Position | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Conjugated verb | pronoun + verb | Je la vois. |
| Negative | ne + pronoun + verb + pas | Je ne la vois pas. |
| Passé composé | pronoun + auxiliary + participle | Je l’ai vue. |
| Infinitive | … + pronoun + infinitive | Je veux la voir. |
| Imperative (+) | verb-pronoun | Regarde-la! |
| Imperative (-) | ne + pronoun + verb + pas | Ne la regarde pas! |
Examples
| Français | English |
|---|---|
| Tu connais Paul? Oui, je le connais. | Do you know Paul? Yes, I know him. |
| Cette robe est jolie, je l’achète. | This dress is pretty, I’m buying it. |
| Mes amis? Je les invite ce soir. | My friends? I’m inviting them tonight. |
| Je lui téléphone tous les jours. | I phone him/her every day. |
| Nous leur offrons un cadeau. | We’re giving them a gift. |
| Je vais te montrer la photo. | I’m going to show you the photo. |
| Passe-moi le sel, s’il te plait. | Pass me the salt, please. |
| Je l’ai vue hier au marché. | I saw her yesterday at the market. |
Common mistakes
- Je vois le -> Je le vois - the pronoun goes before the verb, not after.
- Je parle le (for a person) -> Je lui parle - parler à takes a COI, so use lui, not le.
- Je le donne le livre -> Je lui donne le livre - donner à quelqu’un is indirect; the person is lui.
- Regarde-me! -> Regarde-moi! - in the affirmative imperative me becomes moi.
- Je les ai vu (for feminine) -> Je les ai vues - the past participle agrees with a preceding COD.
- Je le aime -> Je l’aime - elide le/la before a vowel.
Tips
- Test the verb: no preposition = COD (le/la/les); à + person = COI (lui/leur).
- lui covers both him and her - context tells you which. leur here means to them and never takes an -s.
- With two verbs, attach the pronoun to the one it logically completes - almost always the infinitive: Je dois les finir.
- In the passé composé, listen for agreement: Je l’ai prise (fem.) vs Je l’ai pris (masc.).
- Watch verbs that differ from English: téléphoner à, répondre à, plaire à are indirect; regarder, écouter, attendre, chercher are direct (no preposition).
- Only the affirmative imperative moves the pronoun after the verb; everything else keeps it before.