Complément d’objet indirect – Master indirect object pronouns in French

Key takeaways

An indirect object pronoun replaces a noun introduced by the preposition à.
French indirect pronouns: me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur.
They are placed before the verb in most tenses.
Unlike direct pronouns, they never require past participle agreement.
Essential for verbs like parler à, téléphoner à, répondre à.

What Is an Indirect Object in French?

An indirect object is the person or thing receiving the action of the verb through a preposition (most often à).

Je parle à Marie. → I speak to Marie.
Je lui parle. → I speak to her.

The List of French Indirect Object Pronouns

Pronoun	Meaning	Example
me / m’	(to) me	Il me téléphone. → He calls me.
te / t’	(to) you (informal)	Je te réponds. → I answer you.
lui	(to) him/her	Je lui écris. → I write to him/her.
nous	(to) us	Elle nous envoie une carte. → She sends us a card.
vous	(to) you (formal/plural)	Je vous explique la règle. → I explain the rule to you.
leur	(to) them	Il leur parle. → He speaks to them.

Placement of Indirect Object Pronouns

Simple tenses

Before the verb:

Je lui parle. → I speak to him/her.

Compound tenses

Before the auxiliary, but no past participle agreement:

Je leur ai écrit. → I wrote to them.

With infinitives

Before the infinitive:

Je vais lui téléphoner. → I am going to call him/her.

In the negative

Pronoun precedes the verb, inside ne… pas:

Je ne lui ai pas répondu. → I did not answer him/her.

Direct vs Indirect Object Pronouns

Function	Direct Object	Indirect Object
Receives action directly	Je vois Marie → Je la vois	Requires à

Examples of Indirect Object Pronouns

Nous vous écrivons chaque semaine. → We write to you every week.
Tu me réponds toujours vite. → You always answer me quickly.
Il leur a expliqué la situation. → He explained the situation to them.

Common Mistakes

Mixing up direct (le, la, les) with indirect (lui, leur).
Adding agreement with past participles (not needed for indirect objects).
Forgetting that some verbs require à.

Exercises: Practice Indirect Object Pronouns

1. Replace the object with a pronoun

J’écris à Paul. → ________
Elle répond à ses amis. → ________
Tu téléphones à ta mère. → _______

2. Translate into French

I’m talking to him.
We explained the rule to them.
He sends me a letter.

3. Correct the mistakes

❌ Je le parle.
❌ Elle leur a écrites.

Answers

Je lui écris | Elle leur répond | Tu lui téléphones
Je lui parle | Nous leur avons expliqué la règle | Il m’envoie une lettre
Je lui parle | Elle leur a écrit

Tips for Mastering Indirect Object Pronouns

Identify verbs that require à (parler à, téléphoner à, répondre à, écrire à).
Remember: no agreement with past participles.
Drill pronouns in both positive and negative forms.
Compare with English “to + object” for easier recall.

For more practice, review French verb tenses. To study efficiently, explore learning French effectively. And to plan your goals, check how long it takes to learn French fluently.

Summary

French indirect object pronouns (compléments d’objet indirect) include me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur. They replace nouns introduced by à and always precede the verb.

Helpful resources include Dummies’ guide on indirect pronouns and Lawless French’s overview of indirect objects. With practice, sentences like Je lui parle, Nous leur écrivons will become second nature as you learn French with Promova.