Mission: lend, give and return things
Double pronouns (je te le prête, je le lui rends, il y en a). Two little words before the verb, in one fixed order.
FrenchB1 · Getting things doneAbout 7 min: 4 reading, 3 practiceUpdated
- Put two object pronouns in the right order (je te le prête)
- Use lui and leur after le, la, les (je le lui rends)
- Place double pronouns in negatives and the passé composé
- Use the imperative with pronouns after the verb (donne-le-moi)
- Agree the past participle with a preceding le, la, les
Getting things done: lesson 1 of 4
- B1 · Getting things done
- Mission: lend, give and return things 7 min
- Mission: describe the flat you're looking for 6 min
- Mission: guide a visitor round a historic town 7 min
- Mission: complain about a faulty purchase 8 min
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Level Level B1 (around the DELF B1 exam). Real French: sorting out who borrowed what with a neighbour.
What it is
Your mission: your neighbour Camille is moving out on Saturday. Over the year she lent you a drill, some books and a stepladder, and you lent her a spare key to your cellar. Before she goes, you sort out what each of you has to give back, in a friendly chat where nobody wants to repeat « la perceuse » four times.
You already know one object pronoun at a time (je le vois, je lui parle, j'y vais, j'en veux). At B1 you often need two together: Je te le prête. (I'll lend it to you.)
The order is fixed:
| Order | Pronouns | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | me, te, se, nous, vous | je te le prête |
| 2 | le, la, les | je te le prête |
| 3 | lui, leur | je le lui rends |
| 4 | y | il y en a |
| 5 | en | je t'en prête |
So le / la / les come before lui / leur (je le lui rends), but after me / te / nous / vous (il me les a prêtés). Y and en come last; you meet y with en mostly in il y en a.
Where they go:
- Before the verb: Je te le rends demain.
- Negative: ne goes before the pronouns, pas after the verb: Je ne le lui rends pas.
- Passé composé: before avoir, with ne … pas around the whole group: Je ne le lui ai pas rendu.
- With two verbs, before the infinitive: Je vais te le rendre.
Positive imperative: the pronouns go after the verb, joined by hyphens, le / la / les first: Rends-le-moi ! Donne-les-lui ! Donnez-nous-en ! In the negative they go back before the verb, in the normal order: Ne me le rends pas.
Agreement: in the passé composé the participle agrees with a direct object (le, la, les) placed before the verb: Je te l'ai prêtée (la perceuse). Je te les ai rendus (les livres). It does not agree with lui, leur or en: je lui ai parlé, j'en ai acheté.
More detail: m' and t' before en
In the positive imperative moi and toi become m' and t' before en: Donne-m'en un peu. (Give me some.) Otherwise they stay moi / toi: Donne-le-moi.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
« Tu peux me prêter ton vélo ? » — "Yes, I'll lend it to you."
- me, te, nous and vous come before le, la, les
- lui means "to him / to her", not "to you"
Show answer
Oui, je te le prête.. te (you) first, then le (the bike).
Why it matters
Double pronouns are everywhere in daily French: Je te l'envoie, Il me l'a dit, Vas-y, donne-le-moi, Il y en a. People use them without thinking, and at B1 you are expected to understand them at speed and to use the common ones yourself. They also make you sound fluent: repeating the nouns every time (Je rends la perceuse à Camille) is clear but heavy.
Worked example
- Camille: Tu as encore ma perceuse ?
- You: Oui, je te la rends demain, promis.
- Camille: Et mes livres ? Tu me les as rendus ?
- You: Je te les ai rendus hier, ils sont sur ta table.
- You: Et toi, tu as encore la clé de ma cave ?
- Camille: Oui, je ne te l'ai pas encore rendue. Je te la rends ce soir.
- Camille: Et mon escabeau ? Rends-le-moi avant samedi !
- You: Bien sûr, je te le rapporte demain matin. Et pour ce soir, donne-m'en un peu, de ton café, s'il te plaît !
- Camille: Oui, il y en a. Prends-en !
Real French: Donne-m'en un peu (Give me a bit) is the standard imperative with en: moi becomes m', and it is completely natural in conversation.
Common mistake
Getting the order wrong, usually by putting lui or leur before le / la / les: wrong: Je lui le rends. The group is le, la, les then lui, leur: Je le lui rends.
In the positive imperative, putting moi before le: wrong: Donne-moi-le. It is Donne-le-moi.
And forgetting the agreement: wrong: Je les lui ai rendu. Les (the keys) is a direct object before the verb, so the participle agrees: Je les lui ai rendues.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
« Tu as rendu les clés à Paul ? » — "Yes, I gave them back to him."
- le, la, les come before lui and leur
- les is a direct object before the verb, so the participle agrees: rendues
Show answer
Oui, je les lui ai rendues.. les, then lui, and the participle agrees with les (feminine plural).
Key terms
- pronom complément
- object pronoun (me, te, le, lui, y, en…)
- le, la, les
- it / them: the direct object
- lui, leur
- to him, to her / to them: the indirect object
- prêter
- to lend
- emprunter
- to borrow
- rendre
- to give back
- donne-le-moi
- give it to me
- il y en a
- there is / there are some
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 8 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| pronom complément | object pronoun (me, te, le, lui, y, en…) |
| le, la, les | it / them: the direct object |
| lui, leur | to him, to her / to them: the indirect object |
| prêter | to lend |
| emprunter | to borrow |
| rendre | to give back |
| donne-le-moi | give it to me |
| il y en a | there is / there are some |
Practice
Sort it
lui or leur? (Which pronoun replaces the people in « Je donne la clé à … » ?)
à Marie
one personShow answer
lui. one person
à mes voisins
several peopleShow answer
leur. several people
à mon frère
one personShow answer
lui. one person
à Paul et à Julie
two peopleShow answer
leur. two people
à ma sœur
one personShow answer
lui. one person
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
« Tu as le stylo ? Donne-le-moi ! » How do you say "Don't give it to me!"?
- me comes before le, even in the negative imperative
- pronouns go back before the verb in the negative
Show answer
Ne me le donne pas !. in the negative, the pronouns return before the verb in the normal order.
« Tu as prêté ta voiture à tes parents ? » — "Yes, I lent it to them."
- la comes before leur
- lui means "to him / to her", but the parents are several people
Show answer
Oui, je la leur ai prêtée.. la, then leur; the participle agrees with la (la voiture).
« Il reste des tomates ? » — "Yes, there are some."
- y comes before en
- les would mean "them" (definite), not "some"
Show answer
Oui, il y en a.. y comes before en: il y en a.
Build the sentence
Build "I haven't given it back to him yet." (the book: le livre)
Show answer
Je ne le lui ai pas encore rendu. ne, then le + lui, then ai pas, then encore and the participle.
Practise speaking
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Mission role-play. You are Camille, my neighbour, who is moving out on Saturday; we say tu to each other. Ask me, one question at a time, about the things I lent you (a drill, some books, a stepladder) and the spare key to your cellar that you lent me, and ask me to give things back. I am at level B1. After each of my answers, tell me in English what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again; watch the order of the two pronouns, the position in the negative and the passé composé, and the agreement of the participle. When I have used three different double pronouns correctly, including one in the passé composé with agreement and one in the imperative (donne-le-moi), say « Mission accomplie ! » and give me one tip. Keep every reply under 3 sentences.
Listen too. Listen to native speakers before and after: see the free listening and shadowing links.
Good to know. AI feedback on pronunciation is hit and miss, so check yourself against native recordings. Many assistants turn your speech into text first, so a vowel or liaison you got wrong may be silently “heard” as the right word. Don't share personal details: use a made-up name and town.
New to this? Read Practising speaking with an AI.
In short
- Two object pronouns go before the verb in this order: me / te / se / nous / vous, then le / la / les, then lui / leur, then y, then en.
- je te le prête; je le lui rends; il y en a; je t'en prête.
- Negative: ne before the pronouns, pas after the verb. Passé composé: pronouns before avoir (je ne le lui ai pas rendu).
- Positive imperative: after the verb with hyphens, le / la / les first: donne-le-moi, rends-les-lui.
- The participle agrees with a preceding le, la, les (je te l'ai prêtée), not with lui, leur or en.
Mastery check
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Check yourself
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How do you say "I'll give it to him (the file: le dossier) tomorrow"?
Show answer
Je le lui donne demain. (Or: Je vais le lui donner demain.)
How do you say "Give them to me!" (the keys: les clés)?
Show answer
Donne-les-moi !
Complete: « Tu as rendu la perceuse à Camille ? » — « Oui, je la lui ai … » (rendre).
Show answer
rendue (the participle agrees with la, a preceding direct object).
Further reading
- TV5MONDE, Apprendre le français: B1 exercises and explanations on object pronouns.
- RFI, Journal en français facile, daily news in simple French.
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