Mission: plan Mum's birthday with your brother
Object pronouns le, la, les (it, them) and lui, leur (to him, to her, to them), so you don't repeat every noun.
FrenchA2 · Everyday lifeAbout 5 min: 2 reading, 3 practiceUpdated
- Replace a direct object with le, la, l', les
- Replace "to + person" with lui or leur
- Put the pronoun before the verb (and before avoir in the passé composé)
- Use me, te, nous, vous for "me", "you", "us"
Everyday life, A2: lesson 4 of 6
- A2 · Everyday life
- Mission: sort out the bathroom rota with your flatmate 5 min
- Mission: get your lost suitcase back 5 min
- Mission: help a friend choose between two flats 5 min
- Mission: plan Mum's birthday with your brother 5 min
- Mission: shop at the Saturday market 5 min
- Mission: change your plans without upsetting anyone 6 min
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Level Level A2 (around the DELF A2 exam). Real French: planning a present with family.
What it is
Your mission: it's your mum's birthday on Sunday. Your brother Hugo phones: « Tu lui offres quoi, à Maman ? » Agree on a present, who buys it, and who calls your grandparents to invite them, without repeating every name.
Direct object (it, him, her, them): le, la, l', les. They replace a noun that follows the verb directly:
- J'achète le gâteau. → Je l'achète.
- Tu invites les voisins ? → Tu les invites ?
Indirect object (to him, to her, to them): lui, leur. They replace à + a person:
- J'offre un livre à Maman. → Je lui offre un livre.
- Tu téléphones à tes grands-parents ? → Tu leur téléphones ?
Position: the pronoun goes before the verb: je le prends, je lui parle. In the passé composé, before avoir: Je l'ai acheté. In the negative, inside ne … pas: Je ne le prends pas.
Me, te, nous, vous work both ways: Tu m'appelles ? Je te donne l'adresse.
| Person | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|
| it / him | le (l') | lui |
| it / her | la (l') | lui |
| them | les | leur |
Verbs that take à + person, and so lui / leur: parler à, téléphoner à, offrir à, donner à, écrire à, dire à, demander à.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
« Tu parles à Hugo ? » — « Oui, je … parle. »
- parler à takes an indirect object: lui
- Hugo is one person
Show answer
lui. parler à + one person → lui.
Why it matters
Natural French avoids repeating nouns: Le gâteau ? Je l'achète demain. Without pronouns, conversations sound like a list. They're also among the most common words in spoken French, so recognising them quickly helps your listening as much as your speaking.
Worked example
The phone call with Hugo:
- Hugo: Tu lui offres quoi, à Maman ?
- You: Je lui offre un livre de cuisine. Et toi ?
- Hugo: Les fleurs. Je les achète samedi. Tu fais le gâteau ?
- You: Oui, je le fais dimanche matin.
- Hugo: Et les grands-parents ? Tu leur téléphones ?
- You: Je leur ai déjà téléphoné ! Ils viennent à midi.
Real French: French speakers often announce the noun first and then pick it up with a pronoun: Les fleurs, je les achète samedi. Maman, tu lui offres quoi ? It sounds natural and helps listeners follow.
Common mistake
Using le / la with verbs that take à: wrong: Je la téléphone. Téléphoner à quelqu'un → je lui téléphone.
And putting the pronoun after the verb, as in English: wrong: J'achète le. It goes before: Je l'achète.
More detail: agreement after avoir
When le, la, les come before avoir, the participle agrees with them in writing: La robe ? Je l'ai achetée. Les fleurs ? Je les ai achetées. It doesn't change the sound for most verbs, so it matters mostly when you write.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
"I wrote to them yesterday."
- écrire à → indirect: leur
- The pronoun goes before avoir
Show answer
Je leur ai écrit hier.. écrire à + people → leur, before avoir.
Key terms
- le, la, l', les
- it, him, her, them (direct object)
- lui, leur
- to him / to her, to them (indirect object)
- me, te, nous, vous
- me, you, us, you (both kinds)
- offrir à
- to give (as a present) to
- téléphoner à
- to phone
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 5 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| le, la, l', les | it, him, her, them (direct object) |
| lui, leur | to him / to her, to them (indirect object) |
| me, te, nous, vous | me, you, us, you (both kinds) |
| offrir à | to give (as a present) to |
| téléphoner à | to phone |
Practice
Sort it
Direct (le, la, les) or indirect (lui, leur)?
J'invite mes amis.
inviter quelqu'un: lesShow answer
le / la / les. inviter quelqu'un: les
Je téléphone à ma sœur.
téléphoner à: luiShow answer
lui / leur. téléphoner à: lui
Je regarde le film.
regarder quelque chose: leShow answer
le / la / les. regarder quelque chose: le
Je donne un cadeau à mes parents.
donner à: leurShow answer
lui / leur. donner à: leur
Je prends la voiture.
prendre quelque chose: laShow answer
le / la / les. prendre quelque chose: la
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
« Le gâteau ? Je … ai fait ce matin. »
- faire takes a direct object
- le becomes l' before a vowel
Show answer
l'. le → l' before ai: je l'ai fait.
Make negative: « Je les invite. »
- ne goes before the pronoun
- The pronoun stays before the verb
Show answer
Je ne les invite pas.. ne + pronoun + verb + pas.
Build the sentence
Build "I'm giving her a book."
Show answer
Je lui offre un livre.. lui (to her) goes before the verb.
Practise speaking
Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.
Mission role-play. You are Hugo, my brother, on the phone planning our mum's birthday on Sunday. Speak naturally but clearly, at level A2, using tu. Start with « Tu lui offres quoi, à Maman ? ». Ask one question at a time about the present, the cake, the flowers, who invites the grandparents and who phones the neighbours, and answer my questions too, always with le, la, les, lui, leur instead of repeating names. After each of my answers, tell me in English what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again; watch lui / leur after téléphoner, offrir, parler. When I have used at least three pronouns correctly and we have agreed the present and who calls whom, 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
- Direct: le, la, l', les (je l'achète).
- Indirect, à + person: lui, leur (je lui téléphone).
- Pronoun before the verb; before avoir in the passé composé; inside ne … pas.
- me, te, nous, vous for both kinds.
Mastery check
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Check yourself
Answer in your head first, then open the answer. Nothing is saved.
« Tu vois Paul ce soir ? » — "Yes, I'm seeing him."
Show answer
Oui, je le vois.
« Vous écrivez à vos amis ? » — "Yes, I write to them."
Show answer
Oui, je leur écris.
Where does the pronoun go in the passé composé?
Show answer
Before avoir: je l'ai vu, je lui ai parlé.
Further reading
- TV5MONDE, Apprendre le français: A2 exercises on pronouns in real dialogues.
- RFI, Journal en français facile: listen for lui and leur in quotes ("il leur a dit…").
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