Pronoun order in affirmative imperative

Usually, French sentences follow a strict order. You say Tu me parles (You are talking to me). The me sits quietly before the verb. But when you give a command, the verb takes charge. It moves to the front of the line. The pronouns have to follow. In "Speak to me!", it becomes Parle-moi !. Notice two big changes. First, the subject tu is gone. Commands do not need subjects. Second, the pronoun me moved and changed its outfit. It became moi. This happens because affirmative commands are high-energy. The verb needs to be the star of the show. The pronouns become the supporting cast attached to the end. It is a very logical system once you see the "engine and trailer" pattern. The verb is the engine, and the pronouns are the trailers hooked on behind.

1. 1Creating these commands is a simple 5-step process:
2. 2Pick your verb form. Use the tu, nous, or vous form of the present tense.
3. 3Remove the subject pronoun. No more tu, nous, or vous in front.
4. 4Drop the s from tu forms of -er verbs (like parle instead of parles).
5. 5Place your object pronoun AFTER the verb.
6. 6Connect them with a mandatory hyphen -.
7. 7Crucial update: me becomes moi and te becomes toi. Other pronouns like le, la, les, lui, nous, vous, and leur stay exactly the same. If you have two pronouns, the order is usually Direct Object then Indirect Object. For example: Donne-le-moi (Give it to me). Think of the hyphen like a seatbelt. It keeps the pronoun from flying off the verb when you are being bossy.

You use this pattern whenever you are being affirmative. This means you are telling someone to DO something.

• Ordering Food: Donnez-moi un café, s'il vous plaît. (Give me a coffee, please.)
• Asking for Help: Aide-moi avec mon sac ! (Help me with my bag!)
• Giving Directions: Tournez à droite et montrez-la-moi sur la carte. (Turn right and show it to me on the map.)
• Working Together: Mangeons-les maintenant ! (Let's eat them now!)
• Job Interviews: Écoutez-moi bien. (Listen to me well.)

It is the standard way to be direct in French. It is not necessarily rude. It is just efficient. In fact, using the wrong order sounds much more confusing than being a bit direct.

Do not use this pattern if you are saying "Don't!" Negative commands are different. In negative commands, pronouns stay in their normal spot before the verb.

• Affirmative: Donne-le-moi ! (Give it to me!)
• Negative: Ne me le donne pas ! (Don't give it to me!)

Also, do not use this in regular descriptive sentences. If you are just saying "He gives it to me," stick to Il me le donne. This special "flip" is ONLY for affirmative commands. It is like a secret handshake. You only use it when you are the one giving the orders. If you use it in a regular sentence, people will think you are speaking like a broken robot or a very confused king.

• The Missing Hyphen: This is the #1 mistake. In writing, you must have that hyphen. Regarde moi is wrong. Regarde-moi is correct.
• The me Trap: Beginners often say Regarde-me. Nope! Use the "strong" version: Regarde-moi.
• The s Ghost: Forgetting to drop the s on -er verbs like Donne. It is Donne-le, not Donnes-le. (Unless the next word starts with a vowel, but let's keep it simple for now!)
• The Wrong Order: Saying Donne-moi-le. In French, the "it" (le/la/les) usually comes before the "me/you/him" (moi/lui). So, Donne-le-moi is the way to go.
• Forgetting the Subject is Gone: Do not say Tu aide-moi. Just say Aide-moi.

Let's compare this to the negative imperative. In the negative, it is like the "No" (ne...pas) creates a protective bubble. The pronouns stay safely inside before the verb. Ne me regarde pas ! The pronoun me stays as me and stays in front. But the moment you remove the ne...pas, the bubble pops! The pronoun flies to the back, changes to moi, and grabs a hyphen: Regarde-moi !.

Another contrast is with English. In English, we say "Give it to me." The order is Verb-Direct-Indirect. French actually follows this same logic in the affirmative imperative! This is one of the few times French and English word order agree. Donne (Give) le (it) moi (me). Enjoy this rare moment of grammar harmony.