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Imperative Pronoun Order

Spoken Description

Apprenez à utiliser les impératifs en français, y compris la position des pronoms objets, la formation négative et l'ajout de mots de politesse. Exemples simples, exercices pratiques et astuces pour une communication claire.

Learn to use imperative forms in English, focusing on the placement of object pronouns, negative sentence structure, and adding politeness words. Clear explanations, examples, and simple exercises will help you communicate more effectively and politely.

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The imperative in French gives commands or advice, and pronouns attach to the verb in specific ways that learners need to memorize. This guide explains the basic rules for pronoun order in positive and negative imperatives.

Positive Imperative

Dans les commandes affirmatives, les pronoms objets suivent le verbe et se joignent par des traits d'union. L'ordre habituel est : pronom objet direct, puis pronom objet indirect, puis pronom réfléchi.

In positive commands, object pronouns follow the verb and join with hyphens. The usual order is direct object, then indirect object, then reflexive.

Examples

French SentenceEnglish Translation
Donne-le-moi.Give it to me.
Montre-la-lui.Show it to him/her.
Passe-les-nous.Pass them to us.
Donne--(it to me).

Give it to me.

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Negative Imperative

Dans les commandes négatives, les pronoms précèdent le verbe et la phrase entoure le groupe pronom-verbe de ne...pas. Les traits d'union disparaissent et l'ordre habituel des clitiques revient.

In negative commands, pronouns precede the verb and the sentence wraps the pronoun-verb group with ne...pas. Hyphens disappear and the usual clitic order returns.

Examples

French SentenceEnglish Translation
Ne me le donne pas.Don't give it to me.
Ne la lui montre pas.Don't show it to him/her.
Ne nous les passe pas.Don't pass them to us.
Donne--(it to me).

Give it to me.

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Reflexive Pronouns

Les pronoms réfléchis suivent le même schéma : ils s'attachent avec un trait d'union dans les impératifs positifs et précèdent le verbe dans les négatifs. Dans les ordres affirmatifs, toi, moi et lui peuvent apparaître après le verbe.

Reflexive pronouns follow the same pattern: they attach with a hyphen in positive imperatives and precede the verb in negatives. In positive commands, toi, moi, and lui can appear after the verb.

Examples

French SentenceEnglish Translation
Lave-toi les mains.Wash your hands.
Ne te lave pas.Don't wash yourself.
Donne-toi du temps.Give yourself time.
Donne--(it to me).

Give it to me.

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Pronoun Order

L'ordre typique des pronoms dans les impératifs positifs est : pronom objet direct, puis pronom objet indirect, puis pronom réfléchi. Dans les impératifs négatifs et les phrases normales, l'ordre est : pronom réfléchi ou objet indirect, puis pronom objet direct.

The typical order of pronouns in positive imperatives is: direct object, then indirect object, then reflexive. In negative imperatives and normal sentences, the order is: reflexive or indirect object, then direct object.

Special Cases

When both pronouns are en and y, en always comes last in positive commands. In negative commands, en still follows y. Also, in positive commands, the pronoun me changes to moi and te to toi when attached to the verb.

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Summary

In positive imperatives, pronouns attach to the verb in a set order with hyphens. In negative imperatives, pronouns precede the verb and the sentence is framed by ne...pas. Reflexive pronouns follow the same pattern, and special pronouns like en and y have fixed positions.

All content was written by our AI and may contain a few mistakes. We may earn commissions on some links. Last updated: Mon Dec 8, 2025, 6:25 AM