When you want to say that you give it to me or lend it to you, you need to use two object pronouns in the same sentence: a direct object (le, la, les) for the thing, and an indirect object (me, te, nous, vous) for the person receiving it.
The Rule: Person Before Thing
In French, the order of these pronouns is strict. When dealing with 1st and 2nd person indirect objects, the rule is simple: the person comes before the thing.
Both pronouns are placed immediately before the conjugated verb.
| It is your dictionary, I am leaving it to you. | C'est ton dictionnaire, je te le laisse. |
| It is my dictionary, you are giving it back to me tomorrow, right? | C'est mon dictionnaire, tu me le rends demain, d'accord ? |
Feminine and Plural Objects
If the item being lent or returned is feminine, use la. If it is plural, use les. The word order remains exactly the same: the person still comes first.
| You need my calculator? I willingly lend it to you. | Tu as besoin de ma calculatrice ? Je te la prête volontiers. |
| When you get the calculator back, you give it to me, please? | Quand tu récupères la calculatrice, tu me la donnes s'il te plaît ? |
This pattern works exactly the same way when the indirect object is plural (nous or vous).
| Are we keeping the textbook? Yes, he is leaving it to us. | On garde le manuel ? Oui, il nous le laisse. |
| These things are fragile, he entrusts them to us. | Ces choses sont fragiles, il nous les confie. |
Double Pronouns with Infinitives
If the sentence uses an infinitive verb (such as after devoir or pouvoir), both object pronouns are placed together right in front of the infinitive.
| My computer is fragile, you must give it back to me tomorrow. | Mon ordinateur est fragile, tu dois me le rendre demain. |
