The imperative mood gives commands, requests, or advice, and pronoun placement changes depending on whether the command is positive or negative. This guide goes through the order and forms you need to give clear and natural-sounding commands in French.
Positive Commands
In positive commands, direct, indirect, and reflexive pronouns attach to the verb in a fixed order, and they are connected by hyphens. The order is guide > give > place; that is, first a direct object pronoun, then an indirect object pronoun, and finally a reflexive pronoun if needed.
Direct and Indirect Pronouns
When giving a positive command, pronouns like le, la, les (direct) come before pronouns like lui or leur (indirect), and they are joined to the verb with hyphens. If both types appear, the direct pronoun comes first.
| French Pronouns | English Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| me / m' | me | |
| te / t' | you | |
| se / s' | oneself | |
| nous | us | |
| vous | you (pl. or formal) | |
| le / la / l' | him / her / it | |
| les | them | |
| lui | to him / to her | |
| leur | to them |
Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns m'*, *t'*, *se*, *nous*, *vous attach to the verb at the end in positive commands and follow the usual order when combined with direct or indirect pronouns. Remember to use moi or toi instead of me or te after the verb for emphasis.
| French Reflexive Pronouns | English Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| me / m' | myself | |
| te / t' | yourself | |
| se / s' | oneself | |
| nous | ourselves | |
| vous | yourselves | |
| lui | to him / to her | |
| leur | to them |
Negative Commands
In negative commands, pronouns come before the verb and do not attach; instead, they appear in their usual order within the ne...pas construction. Both direct and indirect pronouns precede the verb, and reflexive pronouns remain in their standard position.
Pronoun Placement
When telling someone not to do something, place pronouns immediately before the verb, and keep them separate from the negation particles. Use pronouns like me or te rather than moi or toi after ne, and maintain the typical order of indirect and direct pronouns.
| French Pronouns | English Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| me / m' | me | |
| te / t' | you | |
| se / s' | oneself | |
| nous | us | |
| vous | you (pl. or formal) | |
| le / la / l' | him / her / it | |
| les | them | |
| lui | to him / to her | |
| leur | to them |
Reflexive Pronouns
In negative commands, reflexive pronouns appear before the verb as me, te, or se rather than moi, toi, or soi. The pronoun stays inside the negation, and the usual sequence of indirect then direct pronouns is respected.
| French Reflexive Pronouns | English Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| me / m' | myself | |
| te / t' | yourself | |
| se / s' | oneself | |
| nous | ourselves | |
| vous | yourselves | |
| lui | to him / to her | |
| leur | to them |
Summary
Positive commands attach pronouns to the verb in the order direct > indirect > reflexive, using hyphens and changing me/te to moi/toi when needed. Negative commands place pronouns before the verb within the ne...pas construction, keep pronouns separate from the verb, and use the standard forms me, te, se.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025