Question 1

Does lui mean "him" or "her" here?

Accepted Answer

It can actually mean either! In French, the indirect object pronoun lui means "to him" or "to her". The English translation tells us it means "him" in this specific context, but without context, Je lui prête could equally mean "I lend her".

Question 2

Why is lui placed before the verb?

Accepted Answer

In French, object pronouns almost always go immediately before the verb they belong to. While in English we say "I lend him", the French word order is literally "I to-him lend" (Je lui prête).

Question 3

How do we know to use lui instead of the direct object pronoun le?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the verb's structure. In French, you lend something to someone (prêter quelque chose à quelqu'un). Because of that hidden "to" (à), the person receiving the car is an indirect object. Therefore, we use lui instead of the direct pronouns le or la.

Question 4

Why does souvent come after the verb instead of before it?

Accepted Answer

In English, we put adverbs of frequency before the verb ("I often lend"). But in French, short adverbs like souvent usually go right after the conjugated verb. So, the order becomes "I lend often" (Je lui prête souvent).

Je lui prête souvent ma voiture.

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