Question 1

Why is the pronoun order -la-lui here?

Accepted Answer

In affirmative commands, pronouns are attached to the end of the verb with hyphens. The order is strict: the direct object (le, la, les) always comes before the indirect object (moi, toi, lui, nous, vous, leur). That gives us Explique-la-lui (Explain it to him or her).

Question 2

Why does the sentence use the pronoun la if it immediately specifies la règle at the end?

Accepted Answer

This is a very common spoken French structure called right-dislocation. The speaker first uses the pronoun la so the core command flows naturally (Explique-la-lui), and then tacks on la règle de la pioche at the end to clarify exactly what la refers to.

Question 3

What does la pioche mean in this context?

Accepted Answer

While une pioche literally means a pickaxe, in the context of card games or board games it means the draw pile. It comes from the verb piocher, which means to draw a card or tile.

Question 4

Since this is an informal command to one person, why isn't it Expliques with an s at the end?

Accepted Answer

As a quick refresher, regular -er verbs like expliquer drop the final s in the informal tu command form. The s is only kept if the verb is immediately followed by the pronouns y or en to make the pronunciation flow better.

Explique-la-lui, la règle de la pioche !

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