Questions & Answers about La présentation est prête. Montrez-la-leur !
Why is it Montrez-la-leur with hyphens instead of putting the pronouns before the verb?
In affirmative commands (when you tell someone to do something), object pronouns move to the end of the verb and are attached with hyphens. That is why it is Montrez-la-leur (Show it to them) instead of putting la and leur before the verb. How do I know whether to put la or leur first in this command?
In affirmative commands with two pronouns, the direct object (le, la, les) always comes immediately after the verb, followed by the indirect object (like lui or leur). Since la is the direct object (the presentation) and leur is the indirect object (to them), the correct order is Montrez-la-leur. Why is the word la used here to mean 'it'?
la replaces la présentation. Because words ending in -tion are almost always feminine in French, we use the feminine pronoun la. You can also tell it is feminine because the adjective prête (ready) has an extra 'e' at the end to agree with it. What happens to the word order if I want to say 'Do not show it to them!'?
In negative commands, the pronouns move back in front of the verb, just like in normal statements, and you drop the hyphens. It would become Ne la leur montrez pas ! Learn La présentation est prête. Montrez-la-leur and more in French
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