An indirect object identifies a person or thing connected to the action of a verb without serving as its direct object. In English, it can appear with a preposition, as in I speak to her, or without one, as in I give her the book.
In French, many verbs connect to an indirect object with à, and a pronoun such as lui or leur can replace that person.
Indirect object pronoun forms and placement
Many French verbs connect to a person with à. French uses these pronouns to replace that person:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| me | to me |
| te | to you |
| lui | to him, to her |
| nous | to us |
| vous | to you |
| leur | to them |
In ordinary statements, the pronoun appears before the conjugated verb:
subject + indirect object pronoun + verb
The placement stays the same with different subjects and verbs:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Il me parle. | He speaks to me. |
| Je lui téléphone. | I call her. |
| Nous leur écrivons. | We write to them. |
An indirect object pronoun can replace a person introduced by à:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je parle à Marie. Je lui parle tous les jours. | I speak to Marie. I speak to her every day. |
| Il téléphone à Paul. Il lui téléphone ce soir. | He calls Paul. He calls him this evening. |
| Nous écrivons à nos amis. Nous leur écrivons chaque semaine. | We write to our friends. We write to them every week. |
First- and second-person objects
Me, te, nous, and vous serve as indirect object pronouns when the verb connects to the person with à.
These forms do not show the preposition in the pronoun itself:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Il me parle. | He speaks to me. |
| Je te téléphone. | I call you. |
| Elle nous écrit. | She writes to us. |
| Ils vous répondent. | They answer you. |
Me and te become m' and t' before a vowel sound or silent h.
Third-person objects with lui and leur
Lui and leur replace third-person indirect objects that refer to people.
Lui replaces one person, while leur replaces more than one:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je parle à Paul. Je lui parle. | I speak to Paul. I speak to him. |
| Je parle à Marie. Je lui parle. | I speak to Marie. I speak to her. |
| J'écris à mes parents. Je leur écris. | I write to my parents. I write to them. |
| Elle répond aux étudiants. Elle leur répond. | She answers the students. She answers them. |
Lui does not distinguish masculine and feminine. Leur does not change form.
Indirect objects with people
The presence of à does not automatically mean that French uses lui or leur. The verb determines whether the person can be replaced by an indirect object pronoun.
Verbs such as parler à, téléphoner à, écrire à, and répondre à take these pronouns with people:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je parle à mon frère. Je lui parle. | I speak to my brother. I speak to him. |
| Nous téléphonons à nos parents. Nous leur téléphonons. | We call our parents. We call them. |
| Elle écrit à son professeur. Elle lui écrit. | She writes to her teacher. She writes to him. |
French handles many phrases with à that refer to things differently.
From learning to practice
Listen for lui and leur with familiar verbs such as parler, téléphoner, écrire, and répondre. Notice which person the pronoun replaces and which verb creates the indirect relationship.