Lui or l'ecouter?

Question

Simone J'aimais l'ecouter.    I am going to listen... to him.Why isn't this lui ecouter?  Thanks

Céline Pickard · Accepted Answer

Bonjour mandy,
Take a look at Chris' brilliant answer below:
La or Lui?
 
The same applies for the verb "écouter" in French. It is followed by a direct object:
J'écoute Simone. = I am listening to Simone.
Je l'écoute = I am to listening to her
Here, in English "to her" refers to an indirect object (due to the preposition "to") but in French, there is no preposition "à" ; so, it is a direct object ; hence, "l'écoute".
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !

Anne Davies · Answer

As well as that link, it’s worth noting that with a verb + noun construction (including a person) some verbs need a preposition in French but not in English (eg dire). If the preposition is à + person, the object pronoun preceding the verb is indirect, lui rather than le/la*.

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/verbs-without-prepositions/ https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/verbs-with-a/

* with some exceptions that Lawless mentions, eg penser à