Français — Order of double object pronouns

When two unstressed object pronouns appear before the same verb, French fixes their order. Master the sequence me/te/nous/vous > le/la/les > lui/leur > y > en and you can build sentences like il me le donne without hesitation.

How it works

✓ Rule

Both pronouns go before the conjugated verb (before the auxiliary in compound tenses) and follow the fixed slot order me/te/se/nous/vous > le/la/les > lui/leur > y > en. So you say il me le donne, je le lui dis, je lui en parle, and il y en a.

Examples

The five slots, in order, with a sample combination
Slot / pronouns	Example
1. me, te, se, nous, vous	Il me le donne.
2. le, la, les	Je le lui dis.
3. lui, leur	Nous la leur montrons.
4. y	Il nous y conduit.
5. en	Je lui en parle.
y + en	Il y en a.

Good to know

⚠ Note

In the affirmative imperative the order flips: the pronouns follow the verb, joined by hyphens, direct before indirect, and me/te become moi/toi — donne-le-moi, not il me le donne. Also, me/te/le/la elide before a vowel or en: il m'en donne, je t'en prie.