français · A2 · grammar · 4 minutes
Indirect object pronouns
Replace à + person with lui or leur before the verb.
Understand the choice
Indirect object pronouns encode a recipient or person linked by à. Their forms do not show gender: lui can mean to him or to her, while leur means to them. Verify the verb’s construction before choosing one.
Core rule: Lui replaces à + one person; leur replaces à + several people, and both stand before the conjugated verb.
Notice it in context
Je téléphone à mes parents et je leur raconte mon voyage.
I call my parents and tell them about my trip.
Leur replaces à mes parents and comes before raconte.
Tu peux lui envoyer le document ?
Can you send him/her the document?
Lui marks one recipient; le document remains the direct object.
Nous ne leur parlons jamais.
We never speak to them.
Leur stays before parlons inside ne…jamais.
What to remember
- Téléphoner à and parler à take indirect people even when English has no visible “to.”
- Their possessive adjective is different: leur voiture has no final s before a singular noun.
Common trap: Do not choose lui from the gender of the person; it covers both masculine and feminine singular recipients.