Indirect object: lui, leur
lui and leur
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lui and leur
Lui and leur replace an indirect person object with verbs such as parler à, donner à, and écrire à. Not every à + person takes them: penser à elle keeps a stressed pronoun. In ordinary statements, lui and leur precede their verb.
Examples in context
Read the examples and compare their English meanings.
Speaking to someone
Parler à quelqu’un uses lui or leur. Other verbs, such as penser à, follow a different pattern.
Je lui parle tous les jours.
I speak to him/her every day.
Giving to them
Leur handles plural 'to them'.
Je leur donne le livre.
I give them the book.
Sending a message
Here lui comes before envoies. With an infinitive, it goes before that infinitive: tu vas lui envoyer un SMS.
Tu lui envoies un SMS ?
Are you texting him/her?
Common mix-ups
The indirect object pronoun leur does not take -s, even when it refers to several people.
I give them the book.
Try a reply
Say or write your answer in French before opening the example.
You are speaking about your sisters. Say: I send them a message.
Show one possible answer
Je leur envoie un message.
Other wording can work too. Compare the verb form, agreement, and word order with the lesson. Then try a sentence about your own day.
Keep practicing
Related grammar
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