Replace the object without losing its identity
An object pronoun prevents unnecessary repetition, but it must preserve the sentence’s meaning. Choosing between le, la, les, lui and leur requires two checks: how the verb connects to its object, and which person or thing you mean. Being a person does not automatically make an object indirect.
This lesson uses original fictional examples with one object pronoun before a present-tense verb. It concentrates on clear, verified constructions: regarder quelqu’un ou quelque chose, téléphoner à quelqu’un and écrire à quelqu’un. Keep the verb’s construction in mind instead of translating an English pronoun word for word.
| Object to replace | Pronoun | Original example and replacement |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular direct object | le | Je regarde le plan. Je le regarde. |
| Feminine singular direct object | la | Je regarde la photo. Je la regarde. |
| Plural direct object | les | Je regarde les affiches. Je les regarde. |
| One person after à with téléphoner or écrire | lui | Je téléphone à Nora. Je lui téléphone. |
| Several people after à with téléphoner or écrire | leur | J’écris à mes cousins. Je leur écris. |
The direct object is connected to the verb without a preposition in these full noun constructions. By contrast, à Nora and à mes cousins are selected indirect complements. When replaced by lui or leur, the separate à disappears. Do not write « à lui téléphone » in place of « lui téléphone ».
Worked case 1: regarder takes a direct object
Start with « Éva regarde le cerf-volant. » Identify the verb: regarde. What does she look at? Le cerf-volant. In French, that object follows regarder directly, even though English commonly says “look at.” Check the construction by replacing the noun group: « Éva regarde quelque chose. » No preposition is introduced. Its grammatical gender and number are masculine singular.
Replacement: « Éva le regarde. » The subject remains Éva. Le refers to the kite, not to a male person. This illustrates why grammatical gender and the identity of a human referent must not be confused.
Now use « Éva regarde les danseuses. » The replacement is « Éva les regarde. » These objects are people, but they are still direct objects of this verb. Leur would not fit this construction.
For the singular person « Éva regarde sa tante », write « Éva la regarde ». The same grammatical test works for a person and a thing. Do not base the choice on whether the object is alive.
Before a vowel or mute h, singular le and la become l’. For example, « Éva admire la fresque » becomes « Éva l’admire ». The apostrophe hides the gender distinction in the pronoun’s spelling; the context still supplies the referent.
Worked case 2: téléphoner à takes lui for one person
Compare « Malik téléphone à sa tante » and « Malik regarde sa tante ». The person is unchanged, but the verb construction changes. Telephone communication uses téléphoner à quelqu’un; looking uses regarder quelqu’un.
| Full sentence | Object pattern | Replacement |
|---|---|---|
| Malik téléphone à sa tante. | téléphoner à quelqu’un | Malik lui téléphone. |
| Malik regarde sa tante. | regarder quelqu’un | Malik la regarde. |
Lui can refer to a woman or a man in this indirect-object use. If Malik telephones his uncle instead, the replacement is still « Malik lui téléphone ». The sentence needs context to identify which person.
Negation surrounds the pronoun-and-verb group: « Malik ne lui téléphone pas aujourd’hui. » Keep ne before lui and pas after the conjugated verb. The pronoun stays in front of its verb.
Do not extend this pattern to every phrase containing à. A place such as à la gare is not a person, and some verbs keep a preposition plus a stressed pronoun. For example, penser à Nora gives penser à elle, not the replacement pattern taught for téléphoner. Learn the construction as part of the verb.
Worked case 3: écrire à several people
Full sentence: « Nous écrivons à nos correspondants chaque vendredi. » The people receiving the writing are introduced by à. There is more than one recipient, so replace the whole group with leur.
Result: « Nous leur écrivons chaque vendredi. » The subject remains nous, so the verb remains écrivons. The number of recipients determines leur, not the verb ending.
If there is just one recipient, use « Nous lui écrivons chaque vendredi. » This could refer to one male or female correspondent. If the sentence is negative, write « Nous ne leur écrivons pas cette semaine. » The changed time phrase now limits the negative statement to this week; it does not say that writing never happens.
Object-pronoun leur is invariable: there is no final s. Do not confuse it with the possessive determiner in leurs lettres. In the latter, leurs accompanies a plural noun. Here leur stands before the verb and replaces the recipients.
Repair an exchange with an unclear referent
Ada : J’ai deux photos : celle du jardin et celle de la cour.
Younès : Tu la regardes souvent ?
Ada : Laquelle ?
The grammar of tu la regardes is possible, but two feminine singular candidates make the reference unclear. Younès can repair the turn: « Tu regardes souvent la photo du jardin ? » Ada can then reply « Oui, je la regarde souvent. » Once the noun is established, the pronoun works efficiently.
Repeating a noun is useful when it resolves ambiguity. Do not replace every noun merely to demonstrate a pronoun rule. A reader or listener should be able to recover the same person or object that you intended.
Three solved fresh tasks
Task 1: choose the plural direct object
Remplacez « les portraits » : « Salim regarde les portraits. »
Solution: Salim les regarde. Regarder takes a direct object; the portraits are plural. Their masculine gender does not change plural les.
Task 2: preserve negation and the recipient
Remplacez « à ses voisines » : « Inès ne téléphone pas à ses voisines le lundi. »
Solution: Inès ne leur téléphone pas le lundi. Several people receive the call. Feminine gender does not produce a different indirect-object plural form.
Task 3: handle elision
Remplacez « le musicien » : « Nous admirons le musicien. »
Solution: Nous l’admirons. The object is direct and singular. Le elides before the vowel in admirons. It does not become lui because the musician is a person.
Grammar references
Check the selected constructions in OQLF’s direct-complement guide and UQTR’s pronoun reference.
Frequently asked questions
Does lui always mean him?
No. As the indirect-object pronoun here, it can refer to one woman or one man. Recover the person from context.
Can les refer to people?
Yes. It replaces plural direct objects, including people after verbs such as regarder.
Why is there no s on leur?
The indirect-object pronoun is invariable. Possessive leurs before a plural noun is a different use.
Where does the pronoun go in a negative sentence?
For these present-tense statements: subject, ne, object pronoun, conjugated verb, pas.
Does every à phrase become lui or leur?
No. Check the verb construction and the type of complement. The selected patterns cannot be applied to every place or person phrase.
Can l’ tell me the object’s gender?
Not by itself. It can represent singular le or la before a vowel or mute h.
What if the pronoun could refer to two people?
Repeat the intended name or noun first. Pronouns help only when their reference is clear to the other person.
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