Les pronoms COI
After speaking about the direct object pronouns (COD) their aim and how to use them in my last post, I decided that today I would speak about another category of pronouns which many learners might find tricky: the indirect object pronouns or Pronoms COI.
Who are they?
First let me introduce, or reintroduce, the six pronouns to you : me / te / lui / nous / vous / leur.
They each correspond to a specific subject pronoun : me (je) / te (tu) / lui (il / elle) / nous (nous) / vous (vous) / leur (ils / elles). You will choose the pronoun to use depending on the person you are going to be “replacing” in the sentence to avoid repetitions.
Going back to basics
To know how to use an indirect object pronoun, you need to first understand what is the indirect object in a sentence.
Ex: Je donne des pommes à ma sœur.
–> “Des pommes” is the COD, while “à ma soeur” is the COI.
Although both COD and COI give more information about the verb, the COI will do it indirectly : it will always be introduced by a preposition.
The COI will always be introduced by a preposition such as “à “, “de”, “par”, “avec” etc., and is always corresponding to the thing, the person or the idea who is indirectly the object of the action.
The COI answers the questions “à qui”, “à quoi”, “de qui”, “de quoi”, “avec qui”, “avec quoi”, etc.
Ex: Il dit bonjour à ses amis –> Il dit bonjour à qui? À ses amis. À ses amis is the COI.
Knowing how to use them
Let’s go back to the COI pronouns. They are used to replace a COI but faites attention* : they can only replace a person or an animal .
To make sure a pronoun is an Indirect Object Pronoun you can ask the question “à qui?” and will replace the COI itself (preposition + person / animal).
Ex: Je donne des pommes à ma sœur. –> Je donne des pommes à qui? À ma sœur. –> Je lui donne des pommes.
In a negative sentence, they will also be placed just before the verb, after the “ne”.
Ex: Je ne dis pas bonjour à mes amis. –> Je ne leur dis pas bonjour.
ATTENTION
When used with the construction “verb + infinitive”, it will be placed between the verb and the infinitive.
Ex: Je vais parler à ma sœur. –> Je vais lui parler.
*be careful.
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Hopefully this post has helped you get a better grasp of this particular grammar notion.
If you feel theory is too abstract for you, remember that I do offer 1-1 sessions and face to face local classes which will help you practise everything through conversation and activities, in a relaxed and fun environment! For more information contact me at flairforfrench@gmail.com or head to the French classes section of this website!