Double Object Pronouns in French

Overview

Double object pronouns occur when you use two pronouns together in a sentence -- for example, "I give it to you" becomes je te le donne. This is an A2 topic that can feel tricky at first because French has a strict order for stacking pronouns, but once you learn the pattern, it becomes quite logical.

In English, you might say "Give it to me" without thinking much about word order. In French, both pronouns go before the verb (in most tenses), and they must follow a specific sequence. Mastering this order is essential for sounding natural.

The good news is that double pronouns follow one consistent rule set. Once you memorize the order, it applies across all tenses and constructions, with only a slight variation for affirmative commands.

How It Works

Pronoun order before the verb (statements and negative commands)

Position 1	Position 2	Position 3	Position 4	Position 5
me / te / se / nous / vous	le / la / les	lui / leur	y	en

Read left to right: a pronoun from an earlier column always comes before one from a later column.

Pronoun order after the verb (affirmative commands)

Position 1	Position 2	Position 3
le / la / les	moi / toi / lui / nous / vous / leur	y / en

Key rules:

• Pronouns go before the conjugated verb (or before the infinitive in compound constructions)
• In affirmative commands, pronouns follow the verb and are connected by hyphens
• Me and te become moi and toi in affirmative commands
• You rarely combine more than two pronouns in practice

Examples in Context

French	English	Note
Je te le donne.	I give it to you.	te (to you) + le (it)
Il me l'a dit.	He told me (it).	me (to me) + l' (it)
Elle le lui a explique.	She explained it to him/her.	le (it) + lui (to him/her)
Donne-le-moi!	Give it to me!	Affirmative command order
Ne me le dis pas.	Don't tell me (it).	Negative: normal order
Je vous les envoie.	I'm sending them to you.	vous (to you) + les (them)
Il nous l'a montre.	He showed it to us.	nous (to us) + l' (it)
Ne le leur donne pas.	Don't give it to them.	le (it) + leur (to them)
Je vais te le dire.	I'm going to tell you (it).	Before infinitive
Montrez-les-moi!	Show them to me!	Affirmative command
Elle m'en a parle.	She told me about it.	me (to me) + en (of it)
Il y en a beaucoup.	There are a lot of them.	y + en (fixed expression)

Common Mistakes

Getting the pronoun order wrong

• Wrong: Je le te donne.
• Right: Je te le donne.
• Why: Me/te/se/nous/vous always come before le/la/les. The person pronoun comes first, then the thing pronoun.

Using me/te instead of moi/toi in affirmative commands

• Wrong: Donne-le-me!
• Right: Donne-le-moi!
• Why: In affirmative commands, me becomes moi and te becomes toi.

Placing pronouns after the verb in statements

• Wrong: Je donne le te.
• Right: Je te le donne.
• Why: In statements and negative commands, all object pronouns go before the verb.

Forgetting that pronouns go before the infinitive in compound tenses

• Wrong: Je vais dire te le.
• Right: Je vais te le dire.
• Why: When there is an infinitive (aller + infinitive, vouloir + infinitive, etc.), the pronouns attach to the infinitive, not the conjugated verb.

Practice Tips

1. Start with the most common combinations: me + le/la/les and te + le/la/les. Practice short sentences like Il me le dit, je te la donne, elle me les montre until the order feels natural.
2. Practice converting statements to affirmative commands and back: Tu me le donnes becomes Donne-le-moi! and vice versa. This drills both word orders.
3. When in doubt, remember the mnemonic: "people before things" -- me/te/nous/vous come before le/la/les, which come before lui/leur.

Related Concepts

• Direct Object Pronouns -- understanding single object pronouns is the foundation for doubling them