Ever feel like you say “le” for everything in French? You’re not alone. Direct and indirect object pronouns are everywhere in everyday conversation—ordering coffee, talking to friends, texting your colleague. Today you’ll learn exactly when to use le/la/les vs lui/leur, where to place them in a sentence, how they behave with negatives, infinitives, imperatives, and in the passé composé. Ready to sound natural?

Direct vs indirect: the quick difference

• Direct object = no preposition. It answers “whom/what” directly after the verb.
• Indirect object = usually introduced by à when it’s a person. It answers “to whom/for whom.”

Examples:

The forms you need

• Direct: me/m’, te/t’, le/l’, la/l’, nous, vous, les
• Indirect: me/m’, te/t’, lui, nous, vous, leur

Notice me/te/nous/vous are both direct and indirect; only third person differs: direct = le/la/les, indirect = lui/leur.

Je connais Sophie. Je connais.

When you have two: pronoun order

French can stack pronouns. Common combos:

• me/te/se/nous/vous + le/la/les + lui/leur

Examples:

• Je te le donne. (I’m giving it to you.)
• Il le lui explique. (He’s explaining it to her.)

Note: y and en also exist but today we’ll focus on direct/indirect with people.

Negation and infinitives

• Negation wraps the pronoun + verb: Je ne lui parle pas. On ne les voit plus.
• With modal/near-future structures: Subject + conjugated verb + pronouns + infinitive.
  • Je vais lui parler.
  • Nous pouvons les inviter.

Passé composé: agreement with direct objects only

When a direct object pronoun (le, la, les) comes BEFORE the auxiliary, the past participle agrees in gender/number. Indirect objects (lui, leur) do NOT trigger agreement.

• Je les ai vus. (I saw them — masculine plural → vus)
• Je les ai vues. (I saw them — feminine plural → vues)
• Je lui ai parlé. (no agreement; parler à = indirect)

Practical tip: Identify “à + person” = indirect (no agreement). No preposition = direct (agreement possible).

Je l’ai parlé. → Je lui ai parlé. Parler à quelqu’un is indirect → lui/leur, no agreement.

Tu as vu les photos ? Oui, je ai vues.

Imperatives: special placement

Affirmative imperative: pronouns go AFTER the verb, with hyphens. Order changes: verb + le/la/les + moi/toi/lui/nous/vous/leur.

• Donne-le-moi. Parle-lui.

Negative imperative: keep the usual order (before the verb).

• Ne me le donne pas. Ne lui parle pas.

Parle- ce soir.

Cultural note: pronouns and politeness

French clitic pronouns are light and fast in speech. Using them avoids repetition and sounds natural: “Je lui dis” instead of repeating names. Politeness affects the pronoun choice indirectly: with vous (polite), you’ll often use vous as object pronoun: “Je vous appelle,” “Je vous le donne.” In casual speech, many speakers drop ne in negation, but the pronoun still stays before the verb: “Je lui parle pas,” “On les voit pas.” Aim to understand this register, even if you keep full forms when speaking.

Quick practice wrap-up

• Identify if the object is direct (no preposition) or indirect (à + person).
• Choose the right pronoun: le/la/les vs lui/leur.
• Place pronouns before the verb (except affirmative imperatives).
• Watch agreement in the passé composé for direct objects.

You’ve got this! Pick a few verbs you use daily (appeler, voir, expliquer, donner) and make mini sentences with pronouns: “Je vous appelle,” “Je le vois,” “Je lui explique,” “Je te le donne.” Repeat them out loud—your fluency will jump.