Log inSign up

Je lui pardonne son mensonge.

Je lui pardonne son mensonge.
I forgive him his lie.
From Lesson 106:Indirect object pronouns (lui, leur)·French

Questions & Answers about Je lui pardonne son mensonge.

Why does this sentence use lui instead of le?
In French, the verb pardonner (to forgive) is used with the preposition à when it refers to a person (pardonner à quelqu'un). Because it connects with à, the person is an indirect object. Lui is the indirect object pronoun for "him".
Could lui also mean "I forgive her"?
Yes! As an indirect object pronoun, lui means both "to him" and "to her". You can only tell from the context of the conversation whether you are forgiving a man or a woman.
Why is lui placed before the verb?
In French, object pronouns like lui almost always go immediately before the verb they are attached to. While in English we say "I forgive him", the French word order is literally "I him forgive" (Je lui pardonne).
Does son mensonge mean it has to be "his" lie rather than "her" lie?
No. In French, possessive words like son agree with the noun that comes after them, not the person who owns the thing. Because mensonge (lie) is a masculine word, you must use son whether it translates to "his lie" or "her lie".

Learn Je lui pardonne son mensonge and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →