Understanding French Pronoun Order
French pronoun order follows strict rules when multiple pronouns appear together. Understanding these rules is essential for advanced French fluency and natural expression.
Basic pronoun order (before verb):
1. me, te, se, nous, vous (reflexive/object)
2. le, la, les (direct object)
3. lui, leur (indirect object)
4. y (location/abstract)
5. en (quantity/partitive)
Key principles:
- Maximum 2-3 pronouns typically used together
- Position: Before conjugated verb (after ne in negation)
- Imperative: Different order in affirmative commands
- Infinitive constructions: Before infinitive verb
- Compound tenses: Before auxiliary verb
Common combinations:
- me/te/se + le/la/les
- le/la/les + lui/leur
- y + en (rare but possible)
Mastering pronoun order is crucial for sophisticated French expression and avoiding awkward repetition.
Examples
Je te le donne. (I give it to you.)
te (indirect) + le (direct) = te le
Il nous les montre. (He shows them to us.)
nous (indirect) + les (direct) = nous les
Elle me l'a dit. (She told it to me.)
me (indirect) + l' (direct) = me l'
Basic Pronoun Order Chart
Complete pronoun order before the verb:
Pronoun Order Positions
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Position | me, te, se, nous, vous | Reflexive and 1st/2nd person object |
| 2nd Position | le, la, les | Direct object pronouns (3rd person) |
| 3rd Position | lui, leur | Indirect object pronouns (3rd person) |
| 4th Position | y | Location/abstract replacement |
| 5th Position | en | Quantity/partitive replacement |
Examples
Il me le donne. (He gives it to me.) - Position 1 + 2
Je le lui dis. (I tell it to him.) - Position 2 + 3
Il m'y emmène. (He takes me there.) - Position 1 + 4
Il y en a. (There are some.) - Position 4 + 5
Common Two-Pronoun Combinations
Most frequent two-pronoun combinations:
Examples
Je te le donne. (I give it to you.) - te + le
Il nous la montre. (He shows it to us.) - nous + la
Elle me les apporte. (She brings them to me.) - me + les
Tu le lui dis. (You tell it to him.) - le + lui
ME/TE/NOUS/VOUS + LE/LA/LES
1st/2nd person + direct object:
Il me le donne. (He gives it to me.)
Je te la montre. (I show it to you.)
LE/LA/LES + LUI/LEUR
Direct object + 3rd person indirect:
Je le lui dis. (I tell it to him.)
Nous les leur donnons. (We give them to them.)
Pronoun Order in Negation
Negation with multiple pronouns:
Examples
Je ne te le donne pas. (I don't give it to you.)
Il ne nous les montre jamais. (He never shows them to us.)
Elle ne me l'a pas dit. (She didn't tell it to me.)
Nous ne le lui donnons plus. (We don't give it to him anymore.)
NE...PAS Pattern
Standard negation with pronouns:
Je ne te le dis pas. (I don't tell it to you.)
Pronouns stay together between ne and verb
Pronoun Order in Compound Tenses
Compound tenses (passé composé, plus-que-parfait, etc.):
Examples
Je te l'ai donné. (I gave it to you.)
Il nous les a montrés. (He showed them to us.)
Elle me l'avait dit. (She had told it to me.)
Nous le lui avons expliqué. (We explained it to him.)
Before Auxiliary Verb
Pronouns go before avoir/être:
Tu me l'as donné. (You gave it to me.)
Pronouns before auxiliary, not past participle
Pronoun Order with Infinitives
Infinitive constructions (vouloir, pouvoir, aller, etc.):
Examples
Je vais te le donner. (I'm going to give it to you.)
Il peut nous les montrer. (He can show them to us.)
Elle veut me l'expliquer. (She wants to explain it to me.)
Nous devons le lui dire. (We must tell it to him.)
Before Infinitive
Pronouns attach to infinitive:
Je veux te le montrer. (I want to show it to you.)
Not: Je te le veux montrer
Pronoun Order in Imperative (Commands)
Imperative has different order rules:
Imperative Pronoun Order
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Verb + pronouns | Donne-le-moi! (Give it to me!) |
| Negative | Ne + pronouns + verb | Ne me le donne pas! (Don't give it to me!) |
| Order (affirmative) | Direct + Indirect | Montre-les-lui! (Show them to him!) |
| Order (negative) | Normal order | Ne les lui montre pas! (Don't show them to him!) |
Examples
Donne-le-moi! (Give it to me!) - Affirmative
Ne me le donne pas! (Don't give it to me!) - Negative
Affirmative Imperative
Pronouns after verb with hyphens:
Montre-les-nous! (Show them to us!)
Dis-le-lui! (Tell it to him!)
Negative Imperative
Normal pronoun order before verb:
Ne nous les montre pas! (Don't show them to us!)
Ne le lui dis pas! (Don't tell it to him!)
Special Cases: Y and EN
Y and EN in pronoun combinations:
Examples
Il m'y emmène. (He takes me there.) - me + y
Je t'en donne. (I give you some.) - te + en
Il y en a. (There are some.) - y + en
Nous nous y rendons. (We go there.) - nous + y
Y in Combinations
Y comes after other object pronouns:
Il nous y conduit. (He drives us there.)
Je t'y retrouve. (I meet you there.)
EN in Combinations
EN comes last in pronoun order:
Il m'en donne. (He gives me some.)
Je vous en apporte. (I bring you some.)
Three-Pronoun Combinations (Rare)
Three pronouns together (very rare, often avoided):
Examples
Il me les y montre. (He shows them to me there.) - Theoretical
Je te les en donne. (I give you some of them.) - Theoretical
Usually avoided in favor of: Il me montre les livres là-bas.
Or: Il me donne quelques-uns de ces livres.
Elision and Liaison
Phonetic changes with pronoun combinations:
Examples
Je me le dis → Je me l'dis (informal)
Il te le donne → Il te l'donne (before vowel)
Nous nous en allons. (We're leaving.)
Fixed expression with liaison
Avoiding Complex Pronoun Order
Strategies to avoid complex pronoun combinations:
Examples
Instead of: Je te les y montre.
Say: Je te montre les livres là-bas.
Instead of: Il me les en donne.
Say: Il me donne quelques livres.
Rephrasing Strategies
Alternative expressions:
Use nouns instead of pronouns
Split into multiple sentences
Common Mistakes with Pronoun Order
Here are frequent errors with pronoun order:
1. Wrong order: Incorrect sequence of pronouns
2. Position errors: Wrong placement in sentence
3. Imperative confusion: Wrong order in commands
4. Overcomplication: Using too many pronouns together
Examples
❌ Je lui le donne → ✅ Je le lui donne
Wrong: direct object comes before indirect object
❌ Je veux le te donner → ✅ Je veux te le donner
Wrong: pronouns go before infinitive
❌ Donne-moi-le! → ✅ Donne-le-moi!
Wrong: direct object first in affirmative imperative
❌ Je me lui le donne → ✅ Je le lui donne
Wrong: too many pronouns, rephrase