Order of multiple object pronouns

Kurz erklärt

When two object pronouns appear together in French, their order is fixed. They normally go before the conjugated verb. Pronouns such as me, te, nous, and vous come before le, la, or les, while le, la, and les come before lui or leur. This topic focuses on direct and indirect object pronouns; y and en are treated separately.

Bildung

Normal order: subject + me/te/se/nous/vous + le/la/les + lui/leur + verb. With an infinitive, place the pronouns directly before that infinitive. In an affirmative command: verb + le/la/les + moi/toi/lui/nous/vous.

Verwendung

• Use two pronouns to avoid repeating both a thing or person and its recipient.
• Keep the normal order in statements, questions, and negative commands.
• Put both pronouns before the infinitive when they belong to it.
• After an affirmative command, attach the pronouns with hyphens and use the command order.

Beispiele

• Je le lui donne. — I’m giving it to her.
• Il les leur montre. — He’s showing them to them.
• Nous allons vous l’expliquer. — We’re going to explain it to you.
• Donne-les-moi, s’il te plaît. — Give them to me, please.

Typischer Fehler

❌ Je donne le lui.

✅ Je le lui donne.

Unlike English object phrases, French object pronouns normally stand before the verb and follow a fixed order: le comes before lui.

Merke

Before the verb, follow the fixed pronoun order rather than translating English word order. Affirmative commands use a different order after the verb.