Les Pronoms Objets Indirects (indirect object pronouns)
Video
Notes
Indirect Objects
- A direct object, as we already learned, is the person or thing that the action is done to.
- Ex: My mom eats the cake.
Ma mère mange le gâteau.
> What is being eaten? The cake. There is nothing in-between, it is directly eaten by your mom. - An indirect object is the person to whom or for whom an action takes place. Indirect objects are ONLY people or living things and they occur with verbs that use "à."
Ex: My brother sends a text to his friend.
Mon frère envoie un texto à son ami.
> What is being sent? The text, so it's a direct object. Who is it being sent TO? His friend, the "to" make is an indirect object. The friend is the indirect object because while he is not the one being sent, but he is receiving the action of the text being sent to him. - Most often, in English, the indirect object is preceded by the word "to." The same is true in French because indirect objects are only used with verbs that are followed by the prepsition "à" (to).
Ex: Mr. Rothenberg talks to his students often.
M. Rothenberg parle souvent à ses étudiants. - The "à" is sometimes not stated or is not directly after the verb, so you have to know the important verbs that use "à." You will see a list below. You should have this list somewhere in your notes.
- assister à (la réunion) - to attend (the meeting)
- conseiller à - to advise
- croire à - to believe something
- demander (quelque chose) à quelqu'un - to ask someone (something)
- demander à (quelqu'un) - to ask (someone) to
- désobéir à - to disobey
- dire à - to say / tell
- donner (quelque chose) à quelqu'un - to give someone something
- emprunter (quelque chose) à quelqu'un - to borrow (something) from someone
- envoyer (quelque chose) à quelqu'un - to send (something) to someone
- faire attention à - to pay attention to
- s'intéresser à - to be interested in
- obéir à - to obey
- parler à - to talk to
- penser à - to think of / about
- répondre à - to answer
- téléphoner à - to call
Indirect Object Pronouns
- Indirect object pronouns replace the indirect object of a sentence.
- There is only one indirect object pronoun for each person, listed below.
- You will choose the correct indirect object pronoun based on the person (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and the number (singular, plural). In this case, gender does not matter.
Personne |
Pronoms Singuliers |
Pronoms Pluriels |
1e |
me/m' (to me) |
nous (to us) |
2e |
te/t' (to you) |
vous (to y'all) |
3e |
lui (to him/her/it) |
leur (to them) |
- Just like direct object pronouns, the indirect object pronoun will replace the indirect object and is placed before the verb giving it the action.
Ex: Elle parle à sa mère.
Elle lui parle. - If there are two verbs in one sentence, remember that the object pronoun will go before the verb that is giving it its action.
Ex: Les enfants n'aiment pas téléphoner à leurs parents.
Les enfants n'aiment pas leur téléphoner. - If your verb is negative, the indirect object pronouns follow the same rule and are placed immediately before the verb, therefore in the ne... pas.
Ex: Vous n'obéissez pas au prof.
Vous ne lui obéissez pas. - Note: The "à" and the object are all replaced by the indirect object pronoun.
- Sometimes, it may not be extremely clear whether you need a direct or indirect object pronoun. Use the chart below to help you to determine which you will use.
Activities
Elle Me Dit
Use the song "Elle me dit" by Mika to help students to see indirect object pronouns in action.
Use the song "Elle me dit" by Mika to help students to see indirect object pronouns in action.
- Give the students the song lyrics in French.
- Have the students watch the video, then write a prediction of what they think the song is about.
- Have students go through and highlight any known vocabulary or cognates.
- Play the video again and ask the students to write another prediction as to what they think the song is about the second time around.
- Have students define unknown vocabulary by using context clues and a dictionary.
- Next, ask the students to underline any instances of object pronouns that they see in the song and identify 1) if the object pronoun is direct or indirect, and 2) what it means.
- Finally, watch the video one last time and have the students write a summary of what they think the song is about now.
- If your students are curious, give them the opportunity to look at the lyrics in English and watch the video one last time.
Additional Sites
French.About
An explanation of indirect objects and indirect object pronouns.
Parapluie French
A visual guide that follows along with the video below to further explain object pronouns and their uses.
An explanation of indirect objects and indirect object pronouns.
Parapluie French
A visual guide that follows along with the video below to further explain object pronouns and their uses.
Videos
This video gives an explanation of subject, direct object, indirect object pronouns, and emphatic pronouns in French. For information on one or the other, follow these minute-markers:
Subject Pronouns: beginning-2:54
Direct Object Pronouns: 2:54-4:12
Indirect Object Pronouns: 4:12-6:30
Emphatic Pronouns: 6:30
Subject Pronouns: beginning-2:54
Direct Object Pronouns: 2:54-4:12
Indirect Object Pronouns: 4:12-6:30
Emphatic Pronouns: 6:30
This video includes information about both direct and indirect object pronouns, introduced simultaneously.