Question 1

Why is the pronoun order le lui and not lui le?

Accepted Answer

When both object pronouns are in the third person (he, she, it, or them), French rules dictate that the direct object (le, la, or les) must come before the indirect object (lui or leur). Here, le stands for the center, and lui stands for the opponent.

Question 2

Why use the indirect pronoun lui instead of another direct object?

Accepted Answer

The verb construction here is abandonner [quelque chose] à [quelqu'un] (to give [something] up to [someone]). Because the person receiving the action requires the preposition à, you must use the indirect object pronoun lui.

Question 3

Why does this sentence mix the imperfect tense (voulait) with the passé composé (a abandonné)?

Accepted Answer

Voulait is in the imperfect because it describes an ongoing state of mind in the past (wanting the center). A abandonné is in the passé composé because giving it up was a single, completed action that reacted to that background state.

Question 4

In what context would someone talk about an opponent wanting le centre?

Accepted Answer

While le centre simply translates to the center, this specific phrasing is very common in strategic games like chess, football, or combat sports, where controlling the middle of the board, pitch, or ring is a primary tactic.

L'adversaire voulait le centre, alors il le lui a abandonné.

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