Pronoun Combinations

Clitic pronouns are short pronouns that attach to the verb and appear in a fixed order when more than one pronoun is used. They include me, te, se, le, la, nous, vous, les, lui, and leur.

When two clitic pronouns appear together, they follow a set order: me/te/se/nous/vous → le/la/les → lui/leur → y → en. This sequence never changes in affirmative or negative sentences.

Double object pronouns occur when both a direct and indirect pronoun appear, such as le (direct) and lui (indirect). The indirect pronouns are lui and leur, and they come after the direct pronouns like le, la, or les.

Y and en replace phrases introduced by prepositions: y stands for places or things introduced by à (and similar prepositions), while en replaces de phrases or quantities. They come after other pronouns in the usual order.

Reflexive pronouns like me, te, se, nous, and vous show that the subject performs the action on itself. In commands, they attach to the verb with a hyphen, and in negative forms they stay before the verb.

In affirmative commands, pronouns follow the verb and are connected by hyphens. Me and te change to m’ and t’ when they come after the verb, and the normal pronoun order still applies.

In negative sentences, pronouns appear before the verb and the sentence is framed by ne...pas (or another negative). The pronoun order follows the standard sequence, and the pronouns do not attach to the verb.

French pronoun combinations follow a consistent order that doubles up short clitic pronouns like me, le, lui, y, and en. Reflexive pronouns organize similarly, and commands switch pronouns to the verb end with hyphens.