French Object Pronouns Explained: COD, COI, Y, EN (Free One-Page Guide)

French Object Pronouns: COD, COI, Y, EN and Pronoms Toniques

French has five sets of object pronouns. COD (me, te, le, la, l', nous, vous, les) replaces a direct object. COI (me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur) replaces a person introduced by à. Y replaces a thing or place introduced by à. EN replaces a noun introduced by de or a quantity. Pronoms toniques (moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles) follow a preposition or add emphasis. All except the toniques go before the verb.

By Camille, native French teacherUpdated 2 August 2026Free, no account required

Download the one-page guide (PDF)

Object pronouns are the point where French stops sounding like a textbook. Without them you say "oui, je mange la pomme", with them you say "oui, je la mange", which is what a French person actually says.

The whole system is on one page below. The single rule that governs almost all of it: every pronoun except the toniques sits directly before the verb, including in the negative.

The five sets at a glance

Pronoun set	Forms	Replaces	Position
COD (direct object)	me, te, le, la, l', nous, vous, les	An object or a person with no preposition. Answers Qui ? Quoi ?	Before the verb
COI (indirect object)	me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur	A person or thing introduced by à. Answers À qui ? À quoi ?	Before the verb
Y	y	A thing or a place introduced by à, au, aux, chez, dans, sur	Before the verb
EN	en	A noun preceded by de: indefinite article, partitive, or a quantity	Before the verb
Pronoms toniques	moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles	A person after a preposition, or the subject for emphasis	After the preposition

COD: the direct object

Replaces an object or a person with no preposition in front of it. It answers Qui ? or Quoi ?

Question	Answer
Tu manges la pomme ?	Oui, je la mange.
Ils nous écoutent ?	Oui, ils nous écoutent.
Il appelle ses amis ?	Oui, il les appelle.
Tu manges la pomme ?	Non, je ne la mange pas.

COI: the indirect object

Replaces a complement, person or thing, introduced by à. It answers À qui ? or À quoi ?

Question	Answer
Elle écrit souvent à ses parents ?	Oui, elle leur écrit souvent.
Il te répond tout de suite ?	Oui, il me répond tout de suite.
Tu parles à Marie ?	Oui, je lui parle.
Tu parles à Marie ?	Non, je ne lui parle pas.

Y

Replaces a thing or a place introduced by à, au, aux, chez, dans or sur.

Question	Answer
Tu vas à la piscine ?	Oui, j'y vais.
Tu penses à ton avenir ?	Oui, j'y pense.
Tu participes au projet ?	Oui, j'y participe.
Tu vas à la piscine ?	Non, je n'y vais pas.

EN

Replaces a noun preceded by de: an indefinite article (un, une, des), a partitive (du, de la) or a quantity.

Question	Answer
Tu veux du pain ?	Oui, j'en veux.
Tu as besoin de vacances ?	Oui, j'en ai besoin.
Tu bois du café ?	Oui, j'en bois.
Tu veux du pain ?	Non, je n'en veux pas.

Pronoms toniques

Used after a preposition (avec, sans, chez, pour…) or to reinforce the subject.

Question	Answer
Tu sors avec ton frère ?	Oui, je sors avec lui.
C'est pour moi, ce cadeau ?	Oui, c'est pour toi.
Tu sors avec ton frère ?	Non, je ne sors pas avec lui.

The two rules that fix most mistakes

First, in the negative the pronoun stays glued to the verb and the ne goes in front of the pronoun, not in front of the verb: je ne la mange pas, je n'y vais pas, je n'en veux pas. English speakers instinctively put it after the verb, and that is the mistake that gives you away.

Second, whether you need a COD or a COI is decided by the verb, not by meaning. Téléphoner, parler, répondre, écrire and demander all take à, so they take a COI: je lui téléphone. Regarder, écouter, attendre and chercher take no preposition, so they take a COD: je le regarde. Learn the preposition at the same time as the verb and the choice becomes automatic.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between COD and COI in French?

A COD (complément d'objet direct) follows the verb with no preposition and answers Qui ? or Quoi ?, as in je mange la pomme, je la mange. A COI (complément d'objet indirect) is introduced by à and answers À qui ? or À quoi ?, as in je parle à Marie, je lui parle. The verb decides which one you need.

When do you use y and when do you use en?

Y replaces something introduced by à or a place: tu vas à la piscine becomes j'y vais. En replaces something introduced by de or a quantity: tu veux du pain becomes j'en veux. A quick check: à goes with y, de goes with en.

Where do French object pronouns go in a sentence?

Directly before the conjugated verb, including in the negative: je ne la mange pas. With a verb plus infinitive, the pronoun goes before the infinitive: je vais la manger. The only exceptions are the pronoms toniques, which follow their preposition, and the affirmative imperative: donne-le-moi.

Why is it lui for both il and elle?

As a COI, lui is genderless and covers both: je lui parle can mean I speak to him or to her. As a pronom tonique, lui is masculine and elle is feminine: je sors avec lui, je sors avec elle. Same word, two different roles.

At what level do you learn French object pronouns?

COD, COI, y and en are part of the A2 syllabus and are explicitly tested at DELF A2. The pronoms toniques appear earlier, at A1.