Rules and usage
Complement pronouns in French (pronoms compléments) replace nouns that function as the direct or indirect objects of a verb. There are two types: direct object pronouns (COD - complément d'objet direct), which replace nouns receiving the action directly, and indirect object pronouns (COI - complément d'objet indirect), which replace nouns receiving the action indirectly through a preposition.
Direct Object Pronouns (COD)
- Direct object pronouns replace the person or thing that directly receives the verb's action, answering "who" or "what" (whom/what).
- The six direct object pronouns are: me, te, le, la, nous, vous, les.
- le and la elide to l' before a vowel or mute h: Je l'aime (I love him/her), Je l'appelle (I call him/her), Je l'habille (I dress him/her).
- Without elision before consonants: Je le vois (I see him), Je la regarde (I watch her).
- Examples: Tu vois Marie? Oui, je la vois (Do you see Marie? Yes, I see her). Elle achète des livres? Oui, elle les achète (Does she buy books? Yes, she buys them).
✅ Positive sentence examples
| French | English |
|---|
| Je le vois chaque jour. | I see him every day. |
| Elle m'aime beaucoup. | She loves me a lot. |
⛔ Negative sentence examples
| French | English |
|---|
| Je ne le vois pas chaque jour. | I don't see him every day. |
| Elle ne m'aime pas beaucoup. | She doesn't love me much. |
❓ Question sentence examples
| French | English |
|---|
| Le vois-tu chaque jour? | Do you see him every day? |
| M'aime-t-elle beaucoup? | Does she love me a lot? |