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13.6. Les pronoms compléments avec l’impératif

Object Pronouns with the Imperative

13.6.1. The Main Idea

With affirmative commands, object pronouns usually go after the verb and connect with a hyphen.

Regarde-le.	Look at it / him.
Achète-la.	Buy it. feminine object
Prends-les.	Take them.
Parle-lui.	Speak to him / her.
Écris-leur.	Write to them.

This is different from normal sentences, where object pronouns usually go before the verb.

Tu le regardes.	You look at it / him.
Regarde-le.	Look at it / him.

13.6.2. Direct Object Pronouns in Commands

Direct object pronouns replace the thing or person that directly receives the action.

Regarde le plan.	Regarde-le.
Achète la carte.	Achète-la.
Prends les billets.	Prends-les.
Lis le message.	Lis-le.
Écris la phrase.	Écris-la.

13.6.3. Indirect Object Pronouns in Commands

Indirect object pronouns replace à + person.

Parle à Marie.	Parle-lui.
Téléphone à ton frère.	Téléphone-lui.
Écris à tes parents.	Écris-leur.
Réponds au professeur.	Réponds-lui.
Offre un cadeau à tes amis.	Offre-leur un cadeau.

Use lui for to him / to her. Use leur for to them.

13.6.4. Y and En in Commands

Use y to replace a place or idea introduced by à.

Va au café.	Vas-y.
Va à la gare.	Vas-y.
Pense à ce problème.	Penses-y.
Réponds à la question.	Réponds-y.

Use en to replace something introduced by de, or an indefinite quantity.

Achète des billets.	Achètes-en.
Prends du café.	Prends-en.
Parle de ce film.	Parles-en.
Reviens du café.	Reviens-en.

With y and en, the tu command of regular -er verbs keeps or regains -s for pronunciation:

Va.	Vas-y.
Pense.	Penses-y.
Achète.	Achètes-en.
Parle.	Parles-en.

13.6.5. Me and Te Become Moi and Toi

In affirmative commands, me becomes moi, and te becomes toi.

Regarde-moi.	Look at me.
Écoute-moi.	Listen to me.
Téléphone-moi.	Call me.
Repose-toi.	Rest.
Habille-toi.	Get dressed.
Lève-toi.	Get up.

This is especially useful with pronominal verbs.

13.6.6. Negative Commands

With negative commands, object pronouns go before the verb, like in normal sentences.

Ne le regarde pas.	Do not look at it / him.
Ne la prends pas.	Do not take it. feminine object
Ne les achète pas.	Do not buy them.
Ne lui parle pas.	Do not speak to him / her.
Ne leur écris pas.	Do not write to them.
N’y va pas.	Do not go there.
N’en prends pas.	Do not take any.

Tiny switchboard rule:

affirmative command	verb-pronoun
negative command	ne + pronoun + verb + pas

13.6.7. With Pronominal Verbs

With affirmative commands, the reflexive pronoun goes after the verb and becomes toi with the tu form.

Lève-toi.	Get up.
Habille-toi.	Get dressed.
Repose-toi.	Rest.
Couchez-vous.	Go to bed. formal or plural
Levons-nous.	Let’s get up.

With negative commands, the reflexive pronoun goes before the verb.

Ne te lève pas.	Do not get up.
Ne t’habille pas maintenant.	Do not get dressed now.
Ne te repose pas ici.	Do not rest here.
Ne vous couchez pas tard.	Do not go to bed late. formal or plural
Ne nous levons pas trop tôt.	Let’s not get up too early.

13.6.8. Order with Two Pronouns

At this beginner level, it is enough to recognize a few common patterns.

Donne-le-moi.	Give it to me.
Donne-le-lui.	Give it to him / her.
Donne-les-leur.	Give them to them.
Explique-le-moi.	Explain it to me.
Montre-la-lui.	Show it to him / her.

For negative commands, the pronouns go before the verb.

Ne me le donne pas.	Do not give it to me.
Ne le lui donne pas.	Do not give it to him / her.
Ne le leur explique pas.	Do not explain it to them.

This section is grammar confetti, not the whole parade. Learn the common ones first: donne-le-moi, explique-le-moi, ne me le donne pas.

13.6.9. Connecting with Earlier Object Pronouns

You already learned object pronouns in regular sentences and in the passé composé.

Je le regarde.	I look at it / him.
Je l’ai regardé.	I looked at it / him.
Regarde-le.	Look at it / him.

Je lui parle.	I speak to him / her.
Je lui ai parlé.	I spoke to him / her.
Parle-lui.	Speak to him / her.

The pronoun’s position changes depending on the structure.

13.6.10. Core Patterns

affirmative command + direct pronoun	Regarde-le.
affirmative command + indirect pronoun	Parle-lui.
affirmative command + y	Vas-y.
affirmative command + en	Prends-en.
affirmative command + moi / toi	Écoute-moi. / Repose-toi.
negative command	Ne le regarde pas.
negative pronominal command	Ne te lève pas.

13.6.11. Practice

Look at it. masculine object, informal
Buy it. feminine object, informal
Take them. informal
Speak to him. informal
Write to them. informal
Go there. informal
Take some. informal
Listen to me. informal
Do not look at it. masculine object, informal
Do not get up. informal

13.6.12. Answers

Look at it. masculine object, informal	Regarde-le.
Buy it. feminine object, informal	Achète-la.
Take them. informal	Prends-les.
Speak to him. informal	Parle-lui.
Write to them. informal	Écris-leur.
Go there. informal	Vas-y.
Take some. informal	Prends-en.
Listen to me. informal	Écoute-moi.
Do not look at it. masculine object, informal	Ne le regarde pas.
Do not get up. informal	Ne te lève pas.

13.6.13. Short Dialogue

A : Tu vois le plan ?	A: Do you see the map?
B : Oui. Regarde-le. Il faut tourner à droite.	B: Yes. Look at it. We have to turn right.
A : Et les billets ?	A: And the tickets?
B : Prends-les, s’il te plaît.	B: Take them, please.
A : Je parle à Marie ?	A: Should I speak to Marie?
B : Oui, parle-lui et explique-lui le problème.	B: Yes, speak to her and explain the problem to her.

13.6.14. Checkpoint

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to use object pronouns with affirmative commands such as Regarde-le, Parle-lui, Vas-y, and Prends-en, and use negative commands such as Ne le regarde pas, Ne lui parle pas, and N’y va pas.

13.6.15. Try It Out

Try saying this in French:

Look at it.

Do not look at it.

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Possible answer:

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