Les Doubles Pronoms: Complete Guide to Using COI and COD Together in French

Using double pronouns—placing both a direct object pronoun (COD) and an indirect object pronoun (COI) in the same sentence—is a hallmark of advanced and natural French. It allows you to express complex ideas concisely, like "I give it to him" or "She told it to me." While it may seem daunting, mastering double pronouns will significantly improve your fluency.

This comprehensive guide will teach you everything you need to know about les doubles pronoms in French. You will learn the correct order of pronouns, how to use them in different tenses and moods, the exceptions, and the common mistakes to avoid. By the end, you will be able to combine COI and COD pronouns with confidence.

What are Double Pronouns?

Les doubles pronoms occur when a sentence contains both a direct object pronoun (COD) and an indirect object pronoun (COI). They replace two nouns in the same sentence to avoid repetition and make speech more fluid.

Example:

• Je donne le livre à Marie. → Je le lui donne. – I give the book to Marie. → I give it to her.
• Il raconte l'histoire aux enfants. → Il la leur raconte. – He tells the story to the children. → He tells it to them.

Key Points:

• Double pronouns follow a specific order that must be memorized.
• The order changes slightly in affirmative commands.
• They are used in all tenses (present, past, future, etc.).
• They replace nouns (people or things) and cannot replace people with stressed pronouns.

1. The Golden Rule: Pronoun Order

The order of pronouns in a double pronoun construction is fixed and must be memorized.

Order in All Tenses (Except Affirmative Commands):

me / te / nous / vous → le / la / les → lui / leur → verb

Examples:

• Je me le demande. – I wonder it (to myself).
• Il te le donne. – He gives it to you.
• Nous vous les envoyons. – We send them to you.
• Elle le lui dit. – She says it to him/her.

Important: When two pronouns are both in the third person (le/la/les and lui/leur), le/la/les comes before lui/leur.

2. Double Pronouns in Different Tenses

In Simple Tenses (Present, Future, Imperfect):

The pronouns are placed before the conjugated verb.

Examples:

• Je le lui donnerai. – I will give it to him/her.
• Il me la montre. – He shows it (feminine) to me.
• Nous vous les offrons. – We offer them to you.

In Compound Tenses (Passé Composé, Plus-Que-Parfait):

The pronouns are placed before the auxiliary verb.

Structure:

Subject + pronouns + auxiliary + past participle

Examples:

• Je le lui ai donné. – I gave it to him/her.
• Il me l'a raconté. – He told it to me.
• Nous vous les avons envoyés. – We sent them to you.

Agreement with Past Participle:

When the auxiliary is avoir, the past participle agrees with the direct object (COD) if it comes before the verb.

• Je les lui ai donnés. – I gave them (masculine) to him/her.
• Je les lui ai données. – I gave them (feminine) to him/her.
• Je la lui ai montrée. – I showed it (feminine) to him/her.

With Modal Verbs (Pouvoir, Devoir, Vouloir, etc.):

The pronouns are placed before the infinitive.

Structure:

Subject + modal verb + pronouns + infinitive

Examples:

• Je peux le lui donner. – I can give it to him/her.
• Il doit me le dire. – He must tell it to me.
• Nous voulons vous les offrir. – We want to offer them to you.

In the Near Future (Aller + Infinitive):

The pronouns are placed before the infinitive.

Examples:

• Je vais le lui donner. – I am going to give it to him/her.
• Elle va me le dire. – She is going to tell it to me.

3. Double Pronouns in Affirmative Commands

The order of pronouns changes in affirmative commands (imperative). The pronouns follow the verb and are joined by hyphens.

Order in Affirmative Commands:

Verb + -le/la/les + -moi/toi/lui/nous/vous/leur

Examples:

• Donne-le-moi ! – Give it to me!
• Raconte-la-nous ! – Tell it (feminine) to us!
• Montrez-le-leur ! – Show it to them!
• Offrez-les-lui ! – Offer them to him/her!

Note: For me and te in commands, they change to moi and toi after the verb.

• Donne-moi le livre. → Donne-le-moi ! – Give me the book. → Give it to me!
• Apporte-toi le café. → Apporte-le-toi ! – Bring yourself the coffee. → Bring it to yourself!

In Negative Commands:

The order returns to the standard order, and the pronouns are placed before the verb.

Structure:

Ne + pronouns + verb + pas

Examples:

• Ne me le donne pas ! – Don't give it to me!
• Ne le lui raconte pas ! – Don't tell it to him/her!
• Ne nous les offrez pas ! – Don't offer them to us!

4. Double Pronouns in Negative Sentences

In negative sentences (non-command), the pronouns are placed before the verb, and ne comes before the pronouns, with pas after the verb.

Structure:

Subject + ne + pronouns + verb + pas + (rest)

Examples:

• Je ne le lui donne pas. – I don't give it to him/her.
• Il ne me le dit pas. – He doesn't tell it to me.
• Nous ne vous les envoyons pas. – We don't send them to you.

5. Common Combinations and Examples

Here are some common double pronoun combinations with examples.

6. Common Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid these frequent errors with double pronouns:

• Putting pronouns in the wrong order: ❌ Je lui le donne. → ✅ Je le lui donne. (Remember: le/la/les before lui/leur.)
• Putting "me" after "le" in commands: ❌ Donne-moi-le. → ✅ Donne-le-moi. (In commands, the direct object comes first.)
• Forgetting the hyphen in commands: ❌ Donne le moi. → ✅ Donne-le-moi.
• Forgetting agreement in passé composé: ❌ Je les lui ai donné. → ✅ Je les lui ai donnés. (Agree with les.)
• Using double pronouns with "à" + person incorrectly: ❌ Je donne le livre à lui. (incorrect) → ✅ Je le lui donne.

7. Practice Exercises

Test your understanding with these exercises.

Exercise 1: Replace the underlined parts with double pronouns.

1. Je donne le livre à Marie. → Je ______ donne.
2. Il raconte l'histoire aux enfants. → Il ______ raconte.
3. Nous envoyons les lettres à nos parents. → Nous ______ envoyons.

Answers: 1. le lui, 2. la leur, 3. les leur

Exercise 2: Translate these sentences into French.

1. I give it to him.
2. She tells it to me.
3. We send them to you.
4. They showed it to us.

Answers: 1. Je le lui donne. 2. Elle me le dit. 3. Nous vous les envoyons. 4. Ils nous l'ont montré.

Exercise 3: Correct the errors in these sentences.

1. Je lui le donne.
2. Donne-moi-le !
3. Je les lui ai donné.

Answers: 1. Je le lui donne. 2. Donne-le-moi ! 3. Je les lui ai donnés.

8. Memory Tricks and Mnemonics

Here are some simple memory aids to help you remember double pronouns:

• "Me/te/nous/vous" + "le/la/les" + "lui/leur" – Remember this order for all tenses except affirmative commands.
• "In commands: verb + direct object + indirect object" – Donne-le-moi (Give it to me).
• "Le/la/les before lui/leur" – Direct object always comes before indirect object in the third person.
• "Agreement with preceding direct object" – In passé composé, agree with the direct object if it comes before the verb.

9. How to Practice Double Pronouns

Consistent practice is the key to mastering double pronouns. Here are some effective strategies:

• Practice replacing two nouns with double pronouns in sentences.
• Write sentences using common double pronoun combinations.
• Practice using double pronouns in commands.
• Read French texts and identify double pronouns.
• Listen to French podcasts and note how double pronouns are used.
• Practice with a partner: ask and answer questions using double pronouns.

Final Thoughts

Mastering les doubles pronoms is a significant step toward fluency in French. Remember the key order:

• Standard order: me/te/nous/vous + le/la/les + lui/leur + verb
• Affirmative commands: Verb + le/la/les + moi/toi/lui/nous/vous/leur
• Negative commands: Ne + pronouns + verb + pas
• Past tense: Pronouns before auxiliary; past participle agrees with preceding direct object.

With consistent practice, using double pronouns will become second nature. The more you immerse yourself in French, the more intuitive these constructions will become.

Ready to practice? Visit the French Grammar Practice page to test your knowledge with interactive exercises. You can also leave a comment below with three sentences using double pronouns. We will check your grammar and provide feedback to help you perfect your skills!

Example Sentences:

• Je le lui donne. – I give it to him/her.
• Elle me le raconte. – She tells it to me.
• Donnez-le-nous ! – Give it to us!

Now it's your turn! Share your sentences below and let us help you master les doubles pronoms.