LES PRONOMS COMPLÉMENTS/ OBJECT PRONOUNS
PRONOUN:
Definition: a pronoun is a word representing a noun, an adjective or a phrase.
DIRECT OBJECTS
Definition: A direct object is the person or thing in a sentence that receives the action of the verb. It answers the question WHOM or WHAT?
Ex:
I gave a book (“a book” answers the question “what did I give?”)
I introduced Peter to Mary (“Peter” answers the question “Whom did I introduce to Mary?”)
The direct object pronouns in English are:
In the 1st and 2ndperson: me, you, us
In the 3rd person: him, her, it, them.
Ex: Mr Smith called my brother and me→
Take this box→
In French, the direct object pronouns are:
In the 1st and 2nd person: me, te, se, nous, vous,
In the 3rd person: le, la, l’, les.
Ex: Il prend la pizza→ “la pizza” would be replaced by “la”
PLACEMENT
The placement of the pronouns in French differs from the English.
- Object pronouns are usually placed before the verb.
Ex: Il la prend
- When there is an infinitive after the conjugated verb (near future), the pronoun is placed before the infinitive.
Ex: Il va la prendre
- In the affirmative command, the pronoun is placed after the verb. They are connected by a hyphen. me and te change to moi and toi.
Ex: Prends-la!
- In the negative, the NE is normally placed before the pronoun and the PAS is placed after the conjugated verb.
Ex: Il ne la prend pas.
- In the near future, the NE…PAS is placed on each side of the conjugated verb.
Ex: Il ne va pas la prendre
- In a negative command, the NE is placed before the pronoun and the PAS is placed after the verb.
Ex: Ne la prends pas!
AGREEMENTS
When a direct object pronoun precedes a past participle in a sentence, the past participle must agree with the pronoun.
Ex: J’ai mangé la pizza→ Je l’ai mangée
J’ai acheté les nouvelles chaussures →
Nous avons changé l’huile →
INDIRECT OBJECT
Definition: An indirect object refers to a noun TO WHOM or FOR WHOM the action is done.
Ex: I speak to my mother (“ my mother” answers the question “to whom do I speak?”
The indirect object pronouns in English are:
In the 1st and 2nd person: me, you, us
In the 3rd person: him, her, it, them
In French:
In the 1st and 2nd person: me, m’, te, t’, se, nous, vous
In the 3rd person: lui, leur.
Ex: je parle à ma mère→ Je lui parle
Je parle à mes frères→ je leur parle
As in English, a sentence in French may contain both a direct and an indirect object. You should learn the following order to know which pronoun comes first:
Mele
Telalui
Sel’leuryen
Nousles
Vous
Ex: Carole donne le cadeau à son fils.→
Note: The first and second person object pronouns are the same whether they stand for direct or indirect object. You should pay attention to those when a sentence is in the Passé compose because of the agreement issue.
Tu me parles
Tu lui parles
Tu me comprends
Tu le comprends
THE PRONOUN “Y”
- To avoid repeating the name of a place you can use “Y” instead. Y means in, to or at a place.
Ex: Elle habite à Paris → elle y habite
Elle va chez ses parents → elle y va
Nous prenons un sandwich au café → nous y prenons un sandwich
- To replace à+ a noun when the noun is a thing
Ex: je pense à mes devoirs → j’y pense
Il répond à la lettre → il y répond
THE RULES FOR PLACEMENT ARE THE SAME AS FOR THE DIRECT AND INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS.
THE PRONOUN “EN”
En is used to replace a quantity introduced by a number (un, deux, trois…) or the indefinite articles du, de la, de l’, des or de and the noun that follows.
Ex: tu as des bonbons → tu en as
Ils ont trois bonbons → ils en ont trois.
Note: the adverb of quantity should be repeated
Ex: j’ai beaucoup de bonbons → J’en ai beaucoup
NOTE IMPORTANTE: Y and EN can only be used together in the phrase « il y en a», «il y en a eu», «il y en avait», etc…