Learn French: Il a menti. Il l'a avoué !

Il a menti. Il l'a avoué !

He lied. He admitted it!

Breakdown of Il a menti. Il l'a avoué !

avoir

to have

him, it (masculine direct object pronoun)

mentir

to lie

Questions & Answers about Il a menti. Il l'a avoué !

What exactly does the l' in Il l'a avoué refer to?

It is the neuter object pronoun le (contracted to l' before a vowel). Instead of replacing a specific noun, it replaces the entire idea of the previous sentence: Il a menti (He lied). It translates to 'it' in 'He admitted it'.

Since l' comes before the verb, shouldn't the past participle avoué agree with it?

Normally, a past participle in the passé composé agrees with a preceding direct object. However, because this l' is the neuter pronoun replacing a whole idea (rather than a masculine or feminine noun), the past participle never changes. It stays in the default masculine singular form.

Could I just say Il a avoué without the l'?

In French, verbs like avouer (to admit), savoir (to know), and dire (to say) usually require a direct object when referring to a specific fact. You need the neuter pronoun le (or l') to connect the confession back to the lie. Without it, the sentence sounds incomplete.

What is the infinitive of the verb for 'lied'?

The infinitive is mentir. It is an irregular -ir verb, and its past participle is menti. Like avouer, it is conjugated with the helping verb avoir in the passé composé.