Double object pronoun order (le/la/les before lui/leur)

In French, pronouns usually sit right before the verb. When you have two, they have a strict hierarchy. For this rule, we look at Direct Objects and Indirect Objects. The Direct Object is the "what." The Indirect Object is the "to whom." When both are in the third person, the "what" comes first. The pronouns le, la, and les represent the things. The pronouns lui and leur represent the people. You simply stack them in front of the action. Je le lui donne means "I give it to him." The le is the thing. The lui is the person. Even if the sentence is long, this order stays. It is like a fixed chemical formula. You cannot mix them up. If you do, the sentence breaks. Native speakers will still understand you. However, it will sound a bit clunky to them. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes when they speak fast! But you can learn the rhythm easily. Just remember: Thing then Person.

1. 1Identify your Direct Object. Use le for masculine, la for feminine, or les for plural.
2. 2Identify your Indirect Object. Use lui for "to him/her" or leur for "to them."
3. 3Place the Direct Object first.
4. 4Place the Indirect Object second.
5. 5Put this pair immediately before the conjugated verb.
6. 6For negative sentences, put ne before the pronouns and pas after the verb.
7. 7For compound tenses, put the pronouns before the helping verb like ai or est.
8. 8Example: Je + la + lui + donne = Je la lui donne.
9. 9Example Negative: Je + ne + les + leur + donne + pas = Je ne les leur donne pas.

Use this pattern when you want to be efficient. It is perfect for professional emails. You might say, "I am sending the documents to him." In French, you say Je les lui envoie. It works great for daily chores too. "Did you give the keys to the neighbor?" "Yes, I gave them to him." This is Je les lui ai données. It is also vital for storytelling. You describe an object and then say who gets it. Use it when ordering food for a group. You tell the waiter which dish goes to which friend. It makes you sound sophisticated and clear. Think of it as a shortcut for your brain. You don't have to say long names like Monsieur Dupuis every time. Just use lui. It saves time and energy during long conversations. It is especially common with verbs of giving and telling. Verbs like donner, dire, prêter, and envoyer are your best friends here.

There are times when the order changes. Do not use this order in positive commands. If you say "Give it to him!", the pronouns go after the verb. In that case, it becomes Donne-le-lui. The order actually stays the same here, but they move behind the action. Also, this specific "Direct before Indirect" rule only applies to the 3rd person. If you use me, te, nous, or vous, the rule flips. We are not covering that today, so stay focused on lui and leur. Do not use pronouns if the person you are talking to doesn't know what the "it" is. You need to establish the noun first. If you just walk up and say Je le lui donne, your friend will be very confused! They will ask, "Give what to whom?" Use the nouns first, then switch to pronouns in the next sentence. Don't use this if you want to emphasize the person specifically. Sometimes saying the full name adds more weight to the sentence.

The biggest mistake is following the English word order. In English, we often put the person first. We say "I give him it." In French, Je lui le donne is incorrect. It sounds like "I him it give." This is the most common trap for beginners. Another mistake is mixing up lui and leur. Remember that lui is for one person. leur is for many people. It does not matter if the people are male or female. lui covers both! Some learners forget to put the pronouns before the verb. They put them at the end like in English. Avoid saying Je donne le lui. This is a major grammar red flag. Also, watch out for the plural les. It often gets confused with the indirect leur. Take your time to identify the "what" and the "who" clearly. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. Green means Thing, Yellow means Person, Red means Verb. Go in that order and you will be fine.

Let’s compare this to English one more time. English is flexible. You can say "I give it to her" or "I give her it." French is not flexible. You have one choice: Je le lui donne. Compared to other French pronoun rules, this is actually the "standard" one. In most other cases, the "person" pronouns like me or nous come first. This le lui pattern is the exception that you need to memorize. It is different from the "Y" and "En" pronouns too. Those always come last in the sequence. So, if you have le, lui, and y, it becomes le lui y. But don't worry about that yet! Just focus on the fact that le/la/les are the stars of the show. They get the front-row seats. The lui/leur pronouns are the supporting cast. They sit just behind the stars. This hierarchy is unique to the third person.