What level is Indirect Object Pronouns (COI): Core Mechanics?

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French Grammar

Indirect Object Pronouns (COI): Core Mechanics

The unstressed pronouns used to replace indirect objects (introduced by à) referring to people.

Level A2 Category Grammar

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Lesson Summary

The unstressed pronouns used to replace indirect objects (introduced by à) referring to people.

Grammar

From Direct to Indirect Object Pronouns

Direct object pronouns (le, la, les, etc.) are studied in direct object pronouns: singular and plural. Indirect object pronouns replace a person introduced by the preposition à. Verbs such as parler à, donner à, and téléphoner à regularly take an indirect object.

Indirect Object Pronouns

Person	Pronoun	Example
me (à moi)	me / m'	Il me parle. (He speaks to me.)
te (à toi)	te / t'	Je te donne le livre. (I give you the book.)
lui (à lui, à elle)	lui	Elle lui téléphone. (She phones him/her.)
nous (à nous)	nous	Vous nous répondez. (You answer us.)
vous (à vous)	vous	Ils vous demandent. (They ask you.)
leur (à eux, à elles)	leur	Je leur explique la recette. (I explain the recipe to them.)

Placement and Negation

The COI pronoun is placed immediately before the conjugated verb, following the same rule as COD pronouns.

- Je parle à Thomas. → Je lui parle.
- Tu ne me parles pas.

In the passé composé, the pronoun precedes the auxiliary avoir:
- Il a parlé à Marie. → Il lui a parlé.
- Nous ne vous avons pas téléphoné.

For the formation of the passé composé with avoir, see passé composé regular avoir and irregular participles.

When a semi‑modal verb is followed by an infinitive, the pronoun moves before the infinitive:
- Je veux parler à mes parents. → Je veux leur parler.

Distinction from COD Pronouns

The pronouns me, te, nous, and vous serve as both direct and indirect objects. The context provided by the verb determines their function. The third‑person forms, however, are distinct: direct le/la/les vs. indirect lui/leur.

Examples

Je lui ai acheté un cadeau.
Lui replaces à + singular person; placed before the auxiliary ai.
Tu peux nous donner la recette ?
Nous is the indirect object of donner, placed before the infinitive.

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These are the main phrases this lesson covers:

Indirect Object Pronouns (COI): Core MechanicsThe unstressed pronouns used to replace indirect objects (introduced by à) referring to people.Identify verbs requiring the preposition à before a human object and replace the prepositional phrase with the correct COI pronoun placed before the conjugated verb.GrammarA2grammarLearn French GrammarFrench GrammarFrom Direct to Indirect Object PronounsDirect object pronouns (le, la, les, etc.) are studied in direct object pronouns: singular and plural. Indirect object pronouns replace a person introduced by the preposition à. Verbs such as parler à, donner à, and téléphoner à regularly take an indirect object.