Position of object pronouns with verbs in compound tenses

In: Level A2, Pronouns, Pronom d'objet direct, Pronom d'objet indirect
Questions: 23

Look at these sentences:

Ces épisodes? Il les avait déjà vus.
These episodes? He had already seen them.

La télé? Oui, Marc l'a regardée.
Telly? Yes, Marc watched it.

Et le concert ? Les enfants l'ont adoré.
What about the concert? The children loved it.

Olivier t'a demandée en mariage !
Olivier proposed to you!

Tu lui as parlé.
You talked to her.

Ça leur est arrivé la semaine dernière.
It happened to them last week.

In a sentence with a verb conjugated in a compound tense, the object pronoun, indirect or direct, is placed as follows:

Subject of the verb + object pronoun + auxiliary avoir or être + past participle

See also the more advanced lesson on past participle agreement with direct objects: Special cases when the past participle agrees (in number & gender) when used with 'avoir' in Le Passé Composé 

See also: 

Replacing nouns with le, la, l', les = it, him, her, them (direct object pronouns)

Me, te, nous, vous = Me, you, us, you (direct and indirect object pronouns)

Replacing people with lui, leur = him, her, them (indirect object pronouns)

Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Pronom d'objet direct

Pronom d'objet indirect

Examples and resources

Tu lui as parlé.
You talked to her.

Ces épisodes? Il les avait déjà vus.
These episodes? He had already seen them.

Olivier t'a demandée en mariage !
Olivier proposed to you!

La télé? Oui, Marc l'a regardée.
Telly? Yes, Marc watched it.

Ça leur est arrivé la semaine dernière.
It happened to them last week.

Et le concert ? Les enfants l'ont adoré.
What about the concert? The children loved it.

Q&A

Jack

Kwiziq community member

6 October 2018

2 replies

Please- why is 'voulu' changed in gender and number using 'avoir' ? I thought that only happened with 'être'.

Cécile

Kwiziq language super star

7 October 2018

7/10/18

Hi Jack,

Could you post the whole sentence please?

Chris

Kwiziq community member

7 October 2018

7/10/18

If you look at the sentence in question (and, yes, it would be helpful to know what exactly you are referring to) you'll probably notice that there is a direct object coming somewhere before the participle. Something along these lones:

Les fleures sont très belles. Tu les as vues ?

If the direct object (les) precedes the participle, the participle matches the direct object in number and gender. 

Ron

Kwiziq community member

8 June 2018

1 reply

Your answer leaves me confused when you refer to an advanced change in the rule concerning the agreement when using “avoir”. Also that it “can” agree.

Aurélie

Kwiziq language super star

8 June 2018

8/06/18

Bonjour Ron !

Unfortunately, I don't know what answer you're referring to, so can't really help you yet :)

Ron

Kwiziq community member

8 June 2018

2 replies

Aurelie,

Cécile

Kwiziq language super star

8 June 2018

8/06/18

Have you got a specific question, Ron?

Ron

Kwiziq community member

9 June 2018

9/06/18

Problem resolved. Found the answer in another lesson on the same subject.

Hugh

Kwiziq community member

10 May 2018

1 reply

Agreement of Participle with Indirect Object

Whoops, my question was posted incomplete.

As I was saying (!), in the examples there is agreement between the indirect object and the participle:

La télé? Oui, Marc l'a regardée

Ces épisodes? Il les avait déjà vus

If this is the case, then shouldn't 'Tu lui as parlé' translate as 'You talked to him', BUT 'Tu lui as parlée translate as 'You talked to her'?

Aurélie

Kwiziq language super star

10 May 2018

10/05/18

Bonjour Hugh !

Actually you never agree the past participle with an indirect object, only a direct object placed before the auxiliary avoir.

Have a look at our related lesson:
https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/revision/grammar/special-cases-when-the-past-participle-agrees-in-number-and-gender-when-used-with-avoir-in-le-passe-compose-conversational-past

I hope that's helpful!

À bientôt !

Trenton

Kwiziq community member

17 February 2018

2 replies

Bonjour

Can you please tell me the placement of it in regards to all the verbs like present, passe compose, futur simple, etc? please i need it for my exam


Chris

Kwiziq community member

18 February 2018

18/02/18

What do you need to know over and above what's said in the lesson? Can you be more specific?

-- Chris. 

Chris

Kwiziq community member

18 February 2018

18/02/18

What do you need to know over and above what's said in the lesson? Can you be more specific?

-- Chris. 

Stuart

Kwiziq community member

2 January 2018

1 reply

La télé? Je l’ai regardé

Is the l’ part related to vowels not being able to go together? I read about ma amie becoming mon amie - is it the same for when la and ai come together also?

Aurélie

Kwiziq language super star

2 January 2018

2/01/18

Bonjour Stuart !

Oui tout à fait!

See our article on elision :)
https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/my-languages/french/glossary/85

Bonne journée !

Stephen

Kwiziq community member

4 November 2017

3 replies

Re: "Laura adore ces bonbons. Tu les as goûtés?"

"Respectfully submit that the English translation is wrong here...shouldn't it say "Have you tasted them?" (present perfect)...not "Did you taste them?"?

Chris

Kwiziq community member

4 November 2017

4/11/17

The usage of present perfect and imperfect tenses in English does not parallel their correspondimg use in French. Normally, when relating single occurrences in the past, you use the imperfect in English and the passé composé in French. Hence the apparent discrepancy in the example you cite. -- Chris (not a native speaker)

Stephen

Kwiziq community member

4 November 2017

4/11/17

Sorry but the above can only be translated in the head of an educated native speaker as "have you tasted them?" Simple past is used in English to describe single events (that have finished) in the past. Present Perfect is NOT used in this way-Present perfect connects the present to the past-that is, the event hasn't finished.-you certainly don't use imperfect in English for single occurrences as you do with passé composé. I am an educated native speaker who has taught ESL for a long, long time.

Jim

Kwiziq community member

7 November 2017

7/11/17

Hi Stephen, I agree that the strict translation should be "Have you tasted them" but "Did you taste them" is the only correct answer of those offered, as I see it. I suggest that " Did you____" is equivalent to "Have you____" in this context. Do you not agree? Regards, Alan ( Non-native speaker)

Aurélie

Kwiziq language super star

18 October 2016

3 replies

Kristin asked: "Je l'ai épousée." Why the "- e" at the end of "épousée" ?"

Aurélie

Kwiziq language super star

18 October 2016

18/10/16

Bonjour Kristin !

This is due to a more advanced rule of agreement with "avoir" as auxiliary.

Though you've learnt that the past participle never agrees with the subject of the verb with "avoir" as auxiliary, it can agree with the direct object of the verb when this one is placed before "avoir".

This is the case when using direct object pronouns, as they're always placed before the auxiliary in compound tenses.

Here is a link to our related lesson:
https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/my-languages/french/view/429

I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !

Kathy

Kwiziq community member

16 December 2016

16/12/16

In this case, does "Tu lui as parlé" imply that the object pronoun "lui" is masculine, or does the rule only apply to *direct* object pronouns? Merci en avance!

Aurélie

Kwiziq language super star

17 March 2017

17/03/17

Bonjour Kathy ! The rule only applies to direct object pronouns, so here it could still be masculine or feminine :) À bientôt !

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