French Pronouns: Subject, Object and Stressed - All in One Grid
Every French pronoun in one grid - subject, object and stressed forms - plus the order rule for combining two pronouns like me le or te la.
French pronouns have three forms per person: subject (je, tu, il…), object (me, te, le/la…), and stressed (moi, toi, lui…). Except in affirmative commands, object pronouns precede the verb they belong to, including an infinitive. Before the verb, these forms follow this order: me/te/se/nous/vous, then le/la/les, then lui/leur.
Quick answer
French pronouns have three forms per person: subject (je, tu, il…), object (me, te, le/la…), and stressed (moi, toi, lui…). Except in affirmative commands, object pronouns precede the verb they belong to, including an infinitive. Before the verb, these forms follow this order: me/te/se/nous/vous, then le/la/les, then lui/leur.
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The full pronoun grid
| Person | Subject | Object | Stressed |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | je | me | moi |
| you (tu) | tu | te | toi |
| he/she | il/elle | le/la | lui/elle |
| we | nous | nous | nous |
| you (vous) | vous | vous | vous |
| they | ils/elles | les | eux/elles |
For the je/moi and tu/toi pairs individually, see je vs moi and tu, vous, toi.
Object pronoun placement: before or after the verb
Je le vois (I see it/him) - recap and reinforcement of the placement rule covered in object pronoun placement.
With a compound tense, the pronoun precedes the auxiliary: je l’ai vu (I saw him). When it belongs to an infinitive, put it before that infinitive: je vais le voir (I am going to see him).
In affirmative commands, attach it after the verb with a hyphen: regarde-le (look at him). Negative commands keep the before-verb pattern: ne le regarde pas (do not look at him).
Direct vs indirect object pronouns
le/la/les (direct) vs lui/leur (indirect): je LE vois (I see him) vs je LUI parle (I speak to him).
For people, lui/leur work with compatible verbs such as parler à quelqu’un. An à-complement does not automatically become lui/leur: je pense à lui (I think about him) keeps à plus a stressed pronoun, not “je lui pense”. For a place, use y: je vais à Paris becomes j’y vais (I am going there).
Combining two pronouns: the order rule
Before the verb: me/te/se/nous/vous → le/la/les → lui/leur: il me le donne (he gives it to me).
Affirmative commands instead put le/la/les before moi/toi/lui/nous/vous/leur: donne-le-moi (give it to me). With y and en, these come later in the sequence (y before en), and moi/toi shorten to m’/t’ before y or en: donne-m’en (give me some). See the dedicated guide below for y and en.
En and y (teaser)
Two special pronouns replace de+noun and à+place - a genuinely advanced topic worth its own dedicated deep-dive: see en and y, the two trickiest French pronouns.
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Questions about this note
What's the difference between direct and indirect object pronouns?
Direct (le, la, les) replace a direct object. For people, lui/leur replace à + person with compatible verbs such as parler: je lui parle. Not every à-complement works this way: je pense à lui; for a place, je vais à Paris becomes j'y vais.
What order do combined pronouns go in?
Before the verb: me/te/se/nous/vous, then le/la/les, then lui/leur - il me le donne. Affirmative commands use a different order: donne-le-moi.
What are stressed pronouns for?
Standing alone, after prepositions, or for emphasis: moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles.
Where do object pronouns go in a sentence?
Before the verb they belong to: je le vois; before the auxiliary in a compound tense, je l'ai vu; before a governing infinitive, je vais le voir. In affirmative commands they follow the verb: donne-le-moi.
What are en and y?
Special pronouns replacing de+noun and à+place - covered in their own dedicated guide.