Imperative Pronoun Order
The imperative mood gives direct commands and requests, and pronouns attach differently in positive and negative forms. This guide goes over the pronoun types, their order, and examples.
Pronoun Types
The main pronoun types are: direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns, reflexive pronouns, and pronouns that show quantity or thing (like en and y). Knowing each type helps predict their placement.
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🌟 Je te donne mon cahier. | I give you my notebook. |
| 📒 Il me prête une feuille. | He lends me a sheet. |
| 🧴 Elle lui tend une bouteille d’eau. | She hands him a bottle of water. |
| 🗂️ Nous vous envoyons les corrigés. | We send you (pl.) the corrections. |
| 📧 Ils m’envoient un message. | They send me a message. |
| 🧽 Donne-moi une éponge ! | Give me a sponge! |
| 🚫 Ne me dis pas ça ! | Don’t tell me that! |
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Positive Commands
In positive commands, object pronouns attach to the verb with hyphens, and the order follows particular rules: first reflexive pronouns, then indirect object pronouns, then direct object pronouns, and finally pronouns like en and y.
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🧴 Donne-moi la bouteille d’eau. | Give me the water bottle. |
| 📄 Mets-la sur mon bureau. | Put it on my desk. |
| 🧽 Rince-les avant de les poser. | Rinse them before placing them. |
| 🥖 Donne-le à Marie. | Give it to Marie. |
| 🍊 Cueille-en quelques-unes, s’il te plaît. | Pick some (of them), please. |
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Negative Commands
In negative commands, pronouns go before the verb and do not attach; the normal clitic order applies and the command is framed by ne and pas. Reflexive pronouns appear as their usual forms (e.g. me, te) rather than the attached forms.
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🚫 Ne me donne pas la feuille maintenant. | Don’t give me the sheet now. |
| ❌ Ne la prends pas sans permission. | Don’t take it without permission. |
| 🛑 Ne les range pas encore. | Don’t put them away yet. |
| 🙅 Ne le donne pas à Paul. | Don’t give it to Paul. |
| 🚫 Ne t’en occupe pas pour l’instant. | Don’t deal with it for now. |
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Pronoun Order
The standard pronoun order in positive commands is: reflexive pronoun (moi, toi, lui, etc.), then indirect object pronoun (lui/leur), then direct object pronoun (le, la, les, m', t' etc.), and finally en or y. In negative commands, use the normal clitic order: me/te/se/nous/vous before lui/leur before le/la/les before y/en.
| French Example | English Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 🧴 Donne-la-moi. | Give it to me. | Direct before indirect |
| 🍊 Donne-m’en. | Give me some. | en after pronouns |
| 🥖 Donne-le-lui. | Give it to him/her. | Neutral tone |
| 📄 Donne-la-leur. | Give it to them. | Plural indirect |
| 🧽 Donne-moi-la. | Give me it. | Incorrect order |
| ❌ Donne-lui-la. | Give to him it. | Incorrect order |
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Special Cases
Watch for special cases like moi/toi instead of me/ te in positive commands, and when pronouns join with oui or en in expressions. Also, some verbs trigger different placements depending on emphasis.
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🤝 Donne-moi-en un pour toi aussi. | Give me one for you too. |
| 🙏 Vas-y, donne-le-moi. | Go ahead, give it to me. |
| 🧼 Lave-les avant de me les donner. | Wash them before giving them to me. |
| ⚠️ Ne t’en mêle pas. | Don’t get involved. |
| ✅ Allons-y, donne-le-moi vite ! | Let’s go, give it to me quickly! |
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Summary
Positive commands attach pronouns with hyphens in a set order, negative commands place pronouns before the verb in normal forms, and pronoun types determine placement. Practicing with examples makes the patterns intuitive.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025