Separate the thing from the recipient
Giving commonly involves something transferred and someone receiving it. In French these roles use different pronouns. If you give a book to a friend, the book is the direct object; the friend, introduced by à in French, is the recipient. Start from a complete sentence to keep those roles visible. The same pronoun can mean to him or to her, because it does not show the recipient’s gender.
To check the roles, restore a concrete transfer sentence such as Je donne le livre à Nora. To find the thing transferred, ask what is given; to find the recipient, ask to whom it is given. French can keep either role as a full noun while replacing the other. This lesson begins by replacing only the recipient, because removing both nouns at once can hide an incorrect analysis. A clear full sentence is the best starting point for a shorter conversational one.
Je lui donne un livre.
I give her a book.
Lui replaces the singular recipient; the book stays as the direct object.
Je leur donne un livre.
I give them a book.
Leur refers to multiple recipients even when only one book is given.
Choose by recipient number
Do not add a plural s to the indirect object pronoun leur. Its form already represents plural recipients and differs from the possessive leurs before a plural noun. In the singular, lui can refer to a man or a woman. The number of things sent or said does not decide which recipient form you need.
Spelling helps distinguish the recipient pronoun from a possessive before a noun. In Je leur donne leurs livres, the first form means to them and remains unchanged; the second introduces their books and reflects the plural noun. These words are related in meaning but occupy different grammatical positions. Read from the verb outward: determine who receives, then determine who owns the things. Do not let one visible plural noun control every nearby word.
Aux deux voisines, je leur écris.
I write to the two female neighbors.
The two recipients require leur, which has no final s.
À ma sœur, je lui téléphone.
I call my sister.
French téléphoner à takes a recipient; lui also refers to a woman.
Count people, not gifts
You send three letters to one woman. Choose the recipient pronoun.
- There is one recipient, even though there are three letters.
- The selected construction is envoyer quelque chose à quelqu’un.
- Use singular lui before the verb; leave the letters as a noun phrase.
Je lui envoie trois lettres.
Learn the verb with its construction
English verb patterns do not predict French ones. Écouter takes a direct object, while répondre à takes an indirect object in answering a person. Penser à a person normally keeps the preposition and a stressed pronoun instead of using this recipient pattern. Learn each full expression and compare only constructions that actually match.
A verb can have more than one construction and therefore more than one possible complement. A dictionary entry that includes the preposition is more useful than a single translation. For example, parler takes different prepositions for the person spoken to and for the subject spoken about. Before shortening an unfamiliar expression, write its full complement with the preposition. This is especially important when a familiar English verb seems to promise a straightforward one word equivalent.
Je lui réponds.
I answer her.
Répondre à a person uses the recipient pronoun lui.
Je pense à elle.
I am thinking about her.
With penser à a person, retain à and the stressed pronoun.
Put the pronoun with its infinitive
The recipient belongs to the verb of speaking, writing, or giving, even when a modal precedes it. Put it before that infinitive. First and second person forms me, te, nous, and vous can also fill this slot. Their direct and indirect shapes overlap, so the construction is still what reveals their role.
The overlapping forms are a reason to analyze sentences, not an exception to memorize. In Elle nous voit, nous is direct; in Elle nous parle, it is indirect. The pronoun itself looks the same, but the selected verb construction differs. This matters later when a past participle is involved. Practice with third person forms first, because les and leur make the difference visible, then return to first and second person examples.
Je vais lui écrire.
I am going to write to him.
The recipient goes before écrire, the verb selecting it.
Tu peux nous parler.
You can speak to us.
Nous precedes the infinitive that takes the recipient.
Build negatives and questions
In ordinary statements, a recipient pronoun goes before the conjugated verb. The complete written negative starts before the pronoun. With est-ce que, keep the same subject, pronoun, and verb order inside the question. Avoid adding another preposition before an unstressed pronoun: lui already expresses the selected recipient relation.
A full recipient phrase can clarify an ambiguous pronoun in natural conversation. The basic exercise, however, asks you to replace a known recipient, so do not add a second preposition immediately before the unstressed form. Compare Je parle à Nora with Je lui parle. The phrase and the pronoun express the relation through different structures. The pronoun should not be treated as an ordinary noun placed into the original prepositional slot unchanged.
Je ne lui parle pas.
I am not speaking to him.
The negative begins before the object and ends after the verb.
Est-ce que tu leur écris ?
Are you writing to them?
The question keeps leur immediately before the conjugated verb.
Do not make the participle agree with a recipient
Indirect objects do not trigger the preceding direct object agreement rule with avoir. Sending to two women does not by itself make the participle feminine plural. Locate the thing sent and ask whether that direct object precedes the verb. In the examples here, no direct object precedes the verb, so the basic participle remains.
If you also replace the thing sent, the direct object may introduce agreement even though the recipient does not. Compare Je lui ai envoyé la lettre with La lettre, je la lui ai envoyée. The feminine ending in the second example is justified by the preceding direct object la, not by the gender of the recipient. Keeping these two reasons separate prevents the misleading rule that a feminine person anywhere before the verb requires agreement.
Je leur ai envoyé une carte.
I sent them a card, referring to two women.
Leur is indirect, and the direct object follows the verb.
Elle lui a parlé.
She spoke to her.
Parlé does not agree with the indirect object lui.
Audit a past sentence
You spoke to two women yesterday. Explain the participle spelling.
- The people are recipients of parler à.
- Replace them with leur before ai.
- An indirect object does not make parlé agree.
Compare your reasoning
Je leur ai parlé hier.
Combine roles carefully in commands
With third person direct and indirect pronouns in an ordinary clause, the direct form comes first: le lui or la leur. Positive commands move the pair after the verb. This limited pattern is useful for handing over an already named object. Other combinations have their own order; do not turn this pair into a universal rule.
The short sentence Je le lui donne contains three participant roles: the giver, the object given, and the receiver. Point to each role in a full version before trying the shortened one. This makes the order meaningful rather than an arbitrary string. The present lesson limits combined practice to third person direct objects with third person recipients. Combinations involving me or te follow a different ordering pattern and deserve a separate comparison before extended use.
Je le lui donne.
I give it to her, referring to a masculine book.
Le replaces the book and precedes recipient lui.
Donne-le-lui !
Give it to her, addressing one familiar person.
The positive command attaches the direct object and then the recipient.
Notice the difference
Common mistakes
Use lui, not la, for a singular recipient
Instead ofJe la donne un livre.
For this meaningJe lui donne un livre.
La would be a direct object, not this recipient. Lui replaces the singular recipient; the book stays as the direct object.
Put the pronoun before the infinitive
Instead ofTu peux parler nous.
For this meaningTu peux nous parler.
The unstressed object pronoun does not follow the infinitive. Nous precedes the infinitive that takes the recipient.
Do not make the participle agree with a recipient
Instead ofJe leur ai envoyées une carte.
For this meaningJe leur ai envoyé une carte.
Recipient gender and number do not trigger this participle agreement. Leur is indirect, and the direct object follows the verb.
From understanding to using
Make your own example.
Try these without answer choices. Say your answer aloud or write it below, then compare your reasoning with the model.
Your turn 1
Tell a friend that you can write to their two parents tomorrow.
Compare with a model
Je peux leur écrire demain.
I can write to them tomorrow.
Two recipients select leur; the pronoun goes before écrire.
- Are there two recipients?
- Does the pronoun stay with writing?
Your turn 2
Say that you gave a card to one woman and did not call her, using the verb téléphoner.
Compare with a model
Je lui ai donné une carte. Je ne lui ai pas téléphoné.
I gave her a card. I did not call her.
Both verbs select an indirect recipient. Neither past participle agrees with lui.
- Did you select the recipient form?
- Does the negative surround the auxiliary?
Put it into practice
Make the next choice.
Choose a response and learn why it works. Your score reflects your first answer to each question. You can revisit anything you miss.
Choose an answer, then open the explanation to check your reasoning.
Question 1
Choose the sentence for this message: I give her a book.
- Je lui donne un livre.
- Je la donne un livre.
Check the answer
Answer: Je lui donne un livre.
Je lui donne un livre.: Lui replaces the singular recipient; the book stays as the direct object.
Je la donne un livre.: La would be a direct object, not this recipient.
Question 2
Choose the sentence for this message: I give them a book.
- Je lui donne un livre.
- Je leur donne un livre.
Check the answer
Answer: Je leur donne un livre.
Je lui donne un livre.: Lui makes the recipient singular and changes the requested meaning.
Je leur donne un livre.: Leur refers to multiple recipients even when only one book is given.
Question 3
Choose the sentence for this message: I write to the two female neighbors.
- Aux deux voisines, je leur écris.
- Aux deux voisines, je leurs écris.
Check the answer
Answer: Aux deux voisines, je leur écris.
Aux deux voisines, je leur écris.: The two recipients require leur, which has no final s.
Aux deux voisines, je leurs écris.: The object pronoun is leur; leurs is a different possessive form.
Question 4
Choose the sentence for this message: I call my sister.
- À ma sœur, je la téléphone.
- À ma sœur, je lui téléphone.
Check the answer
Answer: À ma sœur, je lui téléphone.
À ma sœur, je la téléphone.: Calling with this verb uses à and the indirect pronoun.
À ma sœur, je lui téléphone.: French téléphoner à takes a recipient; lui also refers to a woman.
Question 5
Choose the sentence for this message: I answer her.
- Je lui réponds.
- Je la réponds.
Check the answer
Answer: Je lui réponds.
Je lui réponds.: Répondre à a person uses the recipient pronoun lui.
Je la réponds.: A direct pronoun does not replace the person after répondre à here.
Question 6
Choose the sentence for this message: I am thinking about her.
- Je lui pense.
- Je pense à elle.
Check the answer
Answer: Je pense à elle.
Je lui pense.: When it means thinking about someone, penser à does not use lui.
Je pense à elle.: With penser à a person, retain à and the stressed pronoun.
Question 7
Choose the sentence for this message: I am going to write to him.
- Je vais lui écrire.
- Je lui vais écrire.
Check the answer
Answer: Je vais lui écrire.
Je vais lui écrire.: The recipient goes before écrire, the verb selecting it.
Je lui vais écrire.: In this construction the pronoun belongs immediately before the infinitive.
Question 8
Choose the sentence for this message: You can speak to us.
- Tu peux parler nous.
- Tu peux nous parler.
Check the answer
Answer: Tu peux nous parler.
Tu peux parler nous.: The unstressed object pronoun does not follow the infinitive.
Tu peux nous parler.: Nous precedes the infinitive that takes the recipient.
Question 9
Choose the sentence for this message: I am not speaking to him.
- Je ne lui parle pas.
- Je lui ne parle pas.
Check the answer
Answer: Je ne lui parle pas.
Je ne lui parle pas.: The negative begins before the object and ends after the verb.
Je lui ne parle pas.: Ne is misplaced after the pronoun.
Question 10
Choose the sentence for this message: Are you writing to them?
- Est-ce que tu à leur écris ?
- Est-ce que tu leur écris ?
Check the answer
Answer: Est-ce que tu leur écris ?
Est-ce que tu à leur écris ?: Do not insert à before this unstressed pronoun.
Est-ce que tu leur écris ?: The question keeps leur immediately before the conjugated verb.
Question 11
Choose the sentence for this message: I sent them a card, referring to two women.
- Je leur ai envoyé une carte.
- Je leur ai envoyées une carte.
Check the answer
Answer: Je leur ai envoyé une carte.
Je leur ai envoyé une carte.: Leur is indirect, and the direct object follows the verb.
Je leur ai envoyées une carte.: Recipient gender and number do not trigger this participle agreement.
Question 12
Choose the sentence for this message: She spoke to her.
- Elle lui a parlée.
- Elle lui a parlé.
Check the answer
Answer: Elle lui a parlé.
Elle lui a parlée.: Neither the feminine subject nor this indirect object supplies agreement with avoir.
Elle lui a parlé.: Parlé does not agree with the indirect object lui.
Question 13
Choose the sentence for this message: I give it to her, referring to a masculine book.
- Je le lui donne.
- Je lui le donne.
Check the answer
Answer: Je le lui donne.
Je le lui donne.: Le replaces the book and precedes recipient lui.
Je lui le donne.: This third person pair requires the direct object before lui.
Question 14
Choose the sentence for this message: Give it to her, addressing one familiar person.
- Lui donne-le !
- Donne-le-lui !
Check the answer
Answer: Donne-le-lui !
Lui donne-le !: This mixes ordinary clause placement and command placement.
Donne-le-lui !: The positive command attaches the direct object and then the recipient.
Keep the conversation going
What to practice next
Write a short message that names a gift and its recipient before replacing either with a pronoun. In the choice challenge, commit to one answer before opening feedback. Explain the rejected sentence, then retry missed questions. Return tomorrow and write a fresh example without looking at the models.
By Loquus ·
Sources
- University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Indirect object pronouns
- University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Transitive and intransitive constructions
- University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Direct object pronouns
- University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Number: singular and plural
- University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Subject pronouns
- University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Disjunctive pronouns
- University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Pronoun y
- University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Infinitive constructions
- University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Modal verbs
- University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Basic negation
- University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Yes or no questions
- University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Passé composé with avoir
- University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Order of object pronouns
- University of Texas, Tex’s French Grammar: Imperative
Learning research behind the practice
Worked examples, retrieval practice, and later review inform the activities. These studies do not establish the effectiveness of this specific lesson.