Object Pronouns
Just like subject pronouns are used to represent subjects, you can use object pronouns to represent objects. This way, you don't have to repeat the proper words of nouns over and over in conversation. You can use object pronouns to represent these nouns, in some cases making your sentences considerably shorter.
In English, the most common object pronoun is “it.” It is used in a variety of senses, and sometimes you don't even realize it's being used. It represents a noun and in the sentence becomes a shorthand way of referring to that noun so you don't have to keep repeating the same words over and over.
Remember that a pronoun has to link back to a specific noun in some way in order to define it; a pronoun used without this relationship has no meaning at all.
Direct Object Pronouns
When a noun is being used in a sentence as the direct object, the following object pronouns are used.
Table 9-4
Person |
Singular |
Plural |
1st Person |
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2nd Person |
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3rd Person Masculine |
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3rd Person Feminine |
When these pronouns are used to replace a noun in a sentence, they are inserted before the verb. This is much different from English, which tends to maintain the normal word order and places the pronoun after the verb:
Do you drive this car? |
|
Yes, I drive it. |
When a singular object pronoun appears before a verb that begins with a vowel, it contracts with the verb; simply drop the vowel from the end of the pronoun and add an apostrophe:
Have you seen my father? |
|
No, we have not seen him. |
When the object pronoun is used with an infinitive, the pronoun is placed directly before it. Be careful that you don't distort the meaning of sentences by accidentally placing your object pronoun with a conjugated verb instead of with the infinitive where it should be:
Are you going to finish your homework? |
|
Yes, I am going finish it. |
Remember that you can't translate object pronouns directly from one language to the other; the preceding example is a good illustration of one of the reasons it doesn't work.
Some French verbs handle objects differently than English does. Therefore, you have to get to the heart of the true meaning of the sentence before you can start translating any words. You can get away with it when translating a lot of sentences that use actual nouns, but when object pronouns are used, sentences get a little more complicated. As long as you remember to identify which noun is which before you translate, you should have few problems.
Indirect Object Pronouns
In English, we tend to use the same object pronouns for both the direct and indirect object, using prepositions or word order to convey the intended meaning. This is not the case in French. The object pronouns differ slightly and are not interchangeable, but the only actual difference is in the third person formation.
Table 9-5
Person |
Singular |
Plural |
1st Person |
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2nd Person |
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3rd Person (m and f) |
There is really no gender distinction in the third person for indirect object pronouns; the same word suffices for both. In addition, the other forms don't modify to agree with gender, just like the subject pronouns. Don't confuse the object pronouns with possessive adjectives, which must agree in gender and number with their counterpart nouns.
If you try to translate the following sentences word for word, it doesn't work. You have to study the sentence to determine which word is the direct object and which is the indirect object. The word order doesn't help you in French; all object pronouns follow a certain order, no matter what they are being used to represent. The meaning comes from the verb and the context of the sentence.
Normally, the preposition
My friend is giving it to my father. |
|
My friend is giving it to him. |
The indirect object pronoun replaces the preposition à entirely. With other prepositions, you use the disjunctive pronoun to replace an object referring to a person; in this case, the preposition remains in the same place in the sentence.
Disjunctive Pronouns
Disjunctive pronouns are another set of object pronouns. They are similar to the other object pronouns, but vary in the formation of the third person.
Table 9-6
Person |
Singular |
Plural |
1st Person |
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2nd Person |
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3rd Person Masculine |
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3rd Person Feminine |
Disjunctive pronouns are used with prepositions placed after the verb, as seen in the following examples:
She's talking about Jean. |
|
She's talking about him. |
For Emphasis
Inserting the disjunctive pronoun in the sentence can emphasize the subject or the object. When used in this sense, the pronoun doesn't actually replace the subject or object that it modifies; it is used in addition to it.
Myself, I don't like watching TV. |
Literally, this looks like “Me, I don't like watching TV,” but this translation just doesn't make that much sense in English. rather than translate the words, try to translate the sentiment involved. Perhaps the most appropriate choice in English for the above sentence is “I don't like watching TV, myself.”
When used to complement the subject, these pronouns may be placed either at the beginning or the end of the sentence. When used to complement an object, however, the disjunctive pronoun used for emphasis is always placed at the end. The fact that either the subject or the object can appear at the end of the sentence shouldn't cause too much of a problem for you. To tell which is which, simply look at the subject. If the disjunctive pronoun matches it in gender and number, the emphasis is on the subject; if they don't, you'll find they match the object.
I didn't see him, myself. |
|
Yes, I saw him. |
To Form Compound Subjects or Objects
The disjunctive pronoun can be used with another noun at the beginning of a sentence. When this happens, the noun is placed first, with the disjunctive pronoun following it. In the first or second person, the subject pronoun is used with the verb, separated from the preceding noun and disjunctive pronoun with a comma. They are joined together using the conjunction
John and I, we are going to the movies. |
|
You and I, we have always been true friends. |
When used as objects, the noun is placed first with the pronoun placed after it:
He called Jacques and me. |
You can also use two disjunctive pronouns to form a compound subject or object; these are joined with the conjunction
You and I are going to go |
|
to Paris with him. |
Alone in Response to a Question
The subject pronoun can never appear without a verb, but a disjunctive pronoun can. For that reason, when responding to a question when you just want the answer to be something like “me” or “him,” the disjunctive pronoun is the appropriate choice:
Who is doing that? |
|
Me. |
In Conjunction with Certain Verb Phrases, When Used to Indicate a Person
The disjunctive pronoun is placed after verbs using the preposition
to belong to someone |
|
to pay attention to someone |
|
to think about someone |
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to give something to someone |
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to be attached to someone |
Here are some examples:
I don't like the professor. |
|
He never pays attention to me. |
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I often think about him. |
The disjunctive pronoun can be used with only the preceding verbs when a person is the object. If the object happens to be a thing, a special pronoun,
To Make Comparisons Between People
When used in this sense, the disjunctive pronoun is used with the conjunction
He is smarter than I. |
To Indicate “Myself” or Its Equivalent
The disjunctive pronoun can be used with -
He did it himself. |
In English, we also use words like “myself” or “yourself” in conjunction with verbs to indicate that an action is being performed by the subject, on the subject; “I am washing myself” is an example. In French, these are known as reflexive verbs.
After the Preposition De
When the object of the preposition
Did you talk about Sara? |
|
Yes, I talked about her. |
Remember that the disjunctive pronoun can be used only when referring to actual people. If things, locations, ideas, or anything else that isn't a person are used in the sentence, a disjunctive pronoun cannot be used; instead, the object pronoun
The Object Pronoun En
When the preposition
Do you have a lot of pens? |
|
Yes, I have many of them. |
If a sentence uses an expression of quantity, as with
If
The Object Pronoun Y
The direct object pronoun
The appropriate English translation of
Did you go to the store? |
|
Yes, I went there. |
|
Did you reply to the letter? |
|
No, I have not replied to it. |
When the object pronoun
The object pronoun
Will you be sleeping in the bedroom? |
|
Yes, we will be sleeping there. |
