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 !
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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.
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.
- Q1te + leA____________
- Q2le + luiA____________
- Q3la + leurA____________
- Q4y + enA____________
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 1Tap the words below to build the sentence.
- Sentence 2Tap the words below to build the sentence.
- Sentence 3Tap 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)