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GrammarB1pronounsword order

Double object pronoun order

L'ordre des doubles pronoms

B1fr25 min

What you'll learn

Combine two pronouns in one sentence
Apply the fixed order rule
Handle affirmative commands

Tips for this lesson

The order is fixed: me/te/se/nous/vous → le/la/les → lui/leur → y → en.
Both pronouns still sit before the conjugated verb (except affirmative commands).
Memorise the sequence as a chant — it never changes.

Step 1 of 6

1Reading

In context

Read. Notice two pronouns stacked together, always in the same fixed order.

Tu me donnes le livre ? Oui, je te le donne. — Il explique la leçon aux élèves ? Oui, il la leur explique. — Tu m'as parlé de ce film ? Oui, je t'en ai parlé. — Donne-le-moi, s'il te plaît ! — Est-ce que tu peux me dire pourquoi il est important d'utiliser les pronoms correctement ? Oui, cela évite la confusion dans la communication. — Peux-tu donner un exemple d'une phrase avec deux pronoms ? Oui, par exemple : Je te le montre.

Dans notre vie quotidienne, l'utilisation correcte des pronoms est essentielle. Par exemple, lorsque nous parlons à nos amis ou à notre famille, il est important de savoir à qui nous nous adressons et ce dont nous parlons. Cela permet d'éviter les malentendus et de rendre la conversation plus fluide. En pratiquant l'utilisation des pronoms, nous pouvons améliorer notre communication et être mieux compris par les autres.

Compréhension

1.What do you give to me?
2.Who explains the lesson to the students?
3.What did you tell me about?
4.What should you give me, please?
5.Why is it important to use pronouns correctly?
6.Can you give an example of a sentence with two pronouns?

Step 2 of 6

2The pattern

The pattern — one fixed sequence

When two pronouns appear together, they always follow the same fixed order. Learn the sequence once.

You already know all the object pronouns: me/te/se/nous/vous, le/la/les (direct), lui/leur (indirect), y and en. When two of them appear in the same sentence, French uses one fixed order that never changes: me/te/se/nous/vous → le/la/les → lui/leur → y → en. Both pronouns still sit before the conjugated verb, exactly as they do alone: "je te le donne" (I give it to you), "il la leur explique" (he explains it to them). The one exception is the affirmative imperative, where the pronouns move after the verb and the direct object comes first: "donne-le-moi" (give it to me).

1	2	3	4	5
me / te / se	le / la / les	lui / leur	y	en

Sentence	Meaning
je te le donne	I give it to you
il la leur explique	he explains it to them
je t'en parle	I'm telling you about it
il y en a	there are some (of them)

Je te le donne.

I give it to you.

te (column 1) before le (column 2) — follow the sequence.

Il la leur explique.

He explains it to them.

la (column 2) before leur (column 3).

Je t'en parle.

I'm telling you about it.

te (column 1) before en (column 5); te elides to t'.

Donne-le-moi.

Give it to me.

Affirmative command: pronouns move after the verb, direct object (le) first, and me becomes moi.

Erreurs fréquentes

Je lui le donne.Je le lui donne.
le (column 2) must come before lui (column 3) — follow the fixed sequence, not English word order.
Je le te donne.Je te le donne.
te (column 1) comes before le (column 2) — the sequence starts with me/te/se, not with le/la/les.
Donne-moi-le.Donne-le-moi.
In affirmative commands, the DIRECT object pronoun comes first, then the indirect: le, then moi.

Exceptions & à retenir

Affirmative imperatives invert and use moi/toi
donne-le-moi (not donne-me-le): direct object first, then the indirect, and me/te become moi/toi after the verb. Negative commands revert to the normal order: ne me le donne pas.
Columns 1 and 3 can't combine
You can't say 'me lui' — when both would be needed, French restructures with a stressed pronoun instead: il me présente à lui (he introduces me to him), not 'il me lui présente'.
y en is a fixed, very common pair
il y en a (there are some) combines y and en in that fixed order — one of the most frequent double-pronoun phrases in everyday French.

Astuces & mémo

Chant the five columns until automatic: me-te-se / le-la-les / lui-leur / y / en. This single sequence covers every combination.
In practice, only certain pairs are common — je te le donne, je le lui donne, il y en a. Master those three shapes first.
Negative commands keep the normal (pre-verb) order: ne me le donne pas — only AFFIRMATIVE commands invert.

Step 3 of 6

3Q&A drill

Which order?

Match each pronoun pair to its correct order.

Tap an answer below, then tap the question it belongs to — or tap a question first to pick its slot. Tap a filled slot to send the answer back.

Q1te + le
Q2le + lui
Q3la + leur
Q4y + en

Step 4 of 6

4Fill the blanks

Guided practice — order the pronouns

Complete with the two pronouns in the correct order.

Example

Tu me donnes le livre ? Oui, je (1) donne.

→ Oui, je te le donne.

Exercice

Il explique la leçon aux élèves ? Oui, il (1) explique.

Exercice

Tu donnes le cadeau à Marie ? Oui, je (2) donne.

Answer pool — drag onto a blank (or tap to fill the next one)

Next empty blank: 1

Step 5 of 6

5Word order

Build the sentence

Put the words in the correct order.

Example

lejetedonne→Je te le donne.

Sentence 1
Tap the words below to build the sentence.
Sentence 2
Tap the words below to build the sentence.
Sentence 3
Tap the words below to build the sentence.

Step 6 of 6

6Speak freely

Produce it

Answer three questions using two pronouns together instead of repeating the nouns.

Ex.Oui, je te le prête volontiers. Je le lui ai déjà donné hier. Il y en a encore trois.

1.Tu me prêtes ton livre ? (répondez avec deux pronoms)
2.Tu as donné le cadeau à ton ami ? (répondez avec deux pronoms)
3.Il reste des places ? (utilisez y en)