FRENCH	ENGLISH
Objet direct	Direct object
the noun or pronoun that directly receives the action of the verb
Je lis un livre.	I'm reading a book.
Je fais la vaisselle.	I'm washing the dishes.
The direct object can be replaced with pronouns placed directly before the verbs.
Je vois l’oiseau.	I see the bird.
- Je le vois.	- I see it.
Je déteste les carottes.	I hate carrots.
- Je les déteste.	- I hate them.
J’aime beaucoup Robert.	I love Robert.
- Je l'aime.	- I love him.
Tu entends Françoise ?	Do you hear Françoise?
- Tu m'entends ?	- Do you hear me?
Ils vont aider notre famille.	They are going to help our family.
- Ils vont nous aider.	- They are going to help us.
Je connais Claude.	I know Claude.
- Je le connais.	- I know him.
Je vais appeler le bureau.	I am going to call the office.
- Je vais les appeler.	- I am going to call them.
In imperative sentences, "moi" is used instead of "me" and "toi" is used instead of "te".
Aide-moi!	Help me.
Assieds-toi.	Sit down.
objet indirect	Indirect object
the noun or pronoun that indirectly benefits from the action of the verb. And objects after verbs like demander à (meaning to ask) and téléphoner à (meaning to phone) are considered indirect objects.
Elle a donné un parapluie à Pierre.	She gave Robert an umbrella.
Je vais chercher une serviette pour Lucas.	I will get a towel for Lucas.
The indirect object can be replaced with pronouns placed directly before the verbs.
Tu peux apporter un chiffon à Emma ?	Can you bring Emma a rag?
- Tu peux m'apporter un chiffon ?	- Can you bring me a rag?
J’enverrai un mail à Chloé.	I will send Chloé an email.
- Je lui enverrai un mail.	- I will send her an email.
Je parlais à mon frère.	I was talking to my brother.
- Je lui parlais.	- I was talking to him.
Elle écrit une lettre à ses parents.	She is writing a letter to her parents.
- Elle leur écrit une lettre.	- She was writing them a letter.
Tu l’as pas dit à ta femme.	You didn't tell your wife.
- Tu lui as pas dit.	- You didn't tell her.
In sentences where both a direct and an indirect object pronoun are used together, the indirect object pronoun (e.g., "me", "te", "lui", "nous", "vous", "leur") comes before the direct object pronoun (e.g., "le", "la", "les").
Je te l'ai donné.	I gave it to you.
In the imperative mood (commands), pronouns are placed after the verb and connected with hyphens. If there are two pronouns, the indirect object pronoun comes after the direct object pronoun.
Donne-le-moi.	Give it to me.
While verbs like "donner" typically use "à" to indicate the indirect object, this preposition is not needed when using indirect object pronouns.
Je lui donne un cadeau.	I give him/her a gift.
Verbs that require the preposition "à" in French often do so to indicate the recipient, direction, or destination of the action (indirect object). Some common verbs that typically use "à" are:
Demande à Christophe.	Ask Christophe.
J'ai rien dit à Gabriel.	I didn't tell anything to Gabriel.
Donne à maman.	Give it to mom.
J'ai écrit à ma famille.	I wrote to my family.
J'envoie un e-mail à mon avocat.	I send an email to my lawyer.
Montre ces photos à tes parents.	Show these photos to your parents.
Tu dois parler à la police.	You need to talk to the police.
Ferme les yeux et ne pense à rien.	Close your eyes and don't think about anything.
Ça plaît à plusieurs.	It pleases a lot of people.
Il a répondu à la question.	He answered the question.
Je rends visite à mes grands-parents.	I visit my grandparents.
Il ressemble à son père.	He looks like his father.
Elle s'intéresse à la musique.	She is interested in music.
In imperative sentences, "moi" is used instead of "me".
Donne-moi ça !	Give me that.
Écoute-moi.	Listen to me.
	Exercises