Question 1

Why is the order le-lui instead of lui-le?

Accepted Answer

In affirmative commands (telling someone to do something), the direct object pronoun (like le, la, or les) always comes before the indirect object pronoun (like lui, leur, moi, or toi). So, "give it to him" becomes the verb + le (it) + lui (to him).

Question 2

Why are there two hyphens in Donne-le-lui?

Accepted Answer

In French affirmative commands, all object pronouns are attached to the end of the verb using hyphens. Since there are two pronouns here, you need a hyphen between the verb and the first pronoun, and another hyphen between the two pronouns.

Question 3

What exactly do le and lui replace here?

Accepted Answer

le is the direct object meaning "it", which replaces the masculine singular noun ce document. lui is the indirect object meaning "to him", which replaces the implied phrase au patron (since the verb is donner à, meaning to give to someone).

Question 4

Wait, doesn't the tu form of the verb usually end in an "s"? Why is it Donne and not Donnes?

Accepted Answer

For verbs ending in -er like donner, the tu form of the imperative command drops the final s. You only keep the s if the verb is immediately followed by the pronouns y or en for pronunciation reasons, which isn't the case here.

Question 5

Would the pronoun order change if I told someone not to give it to him?

Accepted Answer

Yes! In negative commands, the pronouns jump back in front of the verb, just like in normal sentences. "Do not give it to him!" would be Ne le lui donne pas !

Le patron a besoin de ce document. Donne-le-lui !

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