Third-person indirect object pronouns
To say "to him," "to her," or "to them," you need the third-person indirect object pronouns. Notice that lui is used for both masculine and feminine singular!
| Pronoun | Meaning |
|---|
| lui | to / for him, to / for her |
| leur | to / for them |
Just like other object pronouns, lui and leur are placed directly before the verb. If a sentence has an infinitive (like when using aller to talk about the future), the pronoun goes directly before the infinitive it belongs to.
Borrowing and returning
Verbs involving exchanging items—like prêter (to lend), rendre (to return/give back), and emprunter (to borrow)—rely heavily on indirect objects.
In English, you borrow something "from" someone, but in French, the verb is emprunter à (literally "to borrow to"). This means you use an indirect object pronoun for borrowing, just like you would for lending!
Promises, lies, and forgiveness
Many verbs related to truth and trust take an indirect object in French, including promettre (to promise), mentir (to lie), avouer (to confess), and pardonner (to forgive).
Even if you "forgive someone" directly in English, remember to use lui or leur in French to show exactly to whom the promise, lie, or apology is directed.
