French Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns: COD vs COI Explained

Target: 1,800+ words

"Je le donne" or "Je lui donne"? "Il m'ecoute" or "Il a moi ecoute"?

Object pronouns are the source of endless confusion for French learners. They replace nouns to avoid repetition, but unlike English where pronouns go after the verb ("I see him"), French throws them right in the middle of the sentence ("Je le vois").

To pass the B2 level on TEF/TCF, you must understand the difference between a COD (Complement d'Objet Direct) and a COI (Complement d'Objet Indirect).

French Object Pronouns: COD vs COI Explained

French Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns: COD vs COI Explained

Part 1: Direct Object Pronouns (COD)

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The COD Pronouns:

Placement and Examples:

Part 2: Indirect Object Pronouns (COI)

The COI Pronouns:

Placement and Examples:

Aiming for CLB 7+?

Part 3: The Secret is Knowing Your Verbs

Common Verbs taking COD (Direct):

Common Verbs taking COI (Indirect with A):

Part 4: Advanced Placement Rules

1. Simple negative: Before the verb, inside the "ne...pas"

2. Passe Compose: Before the auxiliary (avoir/etre)

3. Infinitive verbs: Right before the infinitive

4. Affirmative Imperative (Commands): AFTER the verb with a hyphen

Aiming for CLB 7+?

Part 5: Pronoun Order (When using two at once)

Conclusion

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