Français — Pronouns with the imperative
In the affirmative imperative, object pronouns follow the verb and are joined with hyphens: donne-le-moi. In the negative, everything returns to normal preverbal order: ne me le donne pas.
How it works
In the affirmative, the pronoun comes after the verb with a hyphen, and me/te become the stressed forms moi/toi: donne-le-moi, lève-toi. When there are two pronouns, the direct object (le, la, les) comes first, then the indirect (moi, toi, lui, nous, vous, leur): apporte-le-lui. In the negative, the pronouns keep their normal place before the verb, between ne and the verb: ne me le donne pas.
Examples
| Affirmative (after the verb) | Negative (before the verb) |
|---|---|
| donne-le-moi | ne me le donne pas |
| dis-le-lui | ne le lui dis pas |
| apporte-les-nous | ne nous les apporte pas |
| parle-moi | ne me parle pas |
| lève-toi | ne te lève pas |
| vas-y | n'y va pas |
| prends-en | n'en prends pas |
Good to know
Before the pronouns en and y, me and te shorten to m' and t': donne-m'en (not donne-moi-en). Also note the -s kept for liaison: vas-y, manges-en. The stressed moi/toi only appear in the affirmative — in the negative you go back to me/te: ne me le donne pas, never *ne moi le donne pas.