The indirect object (COI) in French
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Lesson outline
Hide- 1.What is the indirect object complement in French ?
- 2.How to recognize the COI in French ?
- 2.1.Examples
- 3.The position of the COI in French
- 3.1.Examples
- 4.The grammatical category of the COI in French
- 5.Exercises
- 5.1.Fill in the blank exercise about indirect object pronouns in French
- 5.2.Drag and drop exercise about the COI in French
- 5.3.Flashcards exercise about the COI in French
What is the indirect object complement in French ?
The indirect object complement (French: le complément d'objet indirect) is an element of the verbal group, introduced by a preposition, which makes it possible to specify the object of an action performed. The COI thus makes it possible to complete a verb preceded by a preposition.
It is a complement of verb. It represents the being or the thing that indirectly receives the action that the subject does.
Examples:
- Léo parle à son ami. (Leo is talking to his friend)
- Maria montre à ses élèves. (Maria is showing to his students)
- Je me souviens de mes vacances. (I remember my holidays)
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How to recognize the COI in French ?
You have to find out the subject and the verb before the COI. The indirect object complement answers the following questions:
- Subject + verb + à qui ?
- Subject + verb + à quoi ?
- Subject + verb + de qui ?
- Subject + verb + de quoi ?
Examples
In these three examples, you will analyse the sentence to find out the COI.
Selena téléphone à son amie. (Selena is calling her friend)
- The subject is "Selena"
- The verb is "téléphone"
- Now, ask the question "à qui ?" because we are talking about a person.
- Selena téléphone à qui ? → à son amie.
Mes parents se sont souvenus de nos bêtises. (Our parents remembered our foolishness)
- The subject is "Mes parents"
- The verbs is "se sont souvenus"
- Now, ask the questions "de quoi ?" because we are talking about things or objects.
- Mes parents se sont souvenus de quoi ? → de nos bêtises.
Note that other questions are possible depending on the preposition used but the main used are "de" and "à".
- Je crois en nous. je crois en qui ? → en nous. (I believe in us)
- Il compte sur votre amitié. il compte sur qui ? → sur votre amitié. (He counts on your friendship)
The position of the COI in French
Like the COD, the COI usually follows the verb except if it's a pronoun. In this case, the indirect object can be replaced with pronouns like:
If it is a person you can use the reflexive pronouns.
- me
- te
- lui
- nous
- vous
- leur
Examples
| COI | Pronoun | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Léo parle de politique | Il en parle | (Leo talks about policy) |
| Le professeur enseigne aux élèves | Le professeur leur enseigne | (The teacher is teaching them) |
The grammatical category of the COI in French
The grammatical nature (French: la nature grammaticale) of an indirect object can be:
- noun or nominal group
- pronoun
- infinitive verb
- subordinate clause
| Nature | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Noun or nominal group | Le guide parle aux touristes | (The tour guide is talking to the tourist) |
| Pronoun | Le guide leur parle | (The tour guide is talking to them) |
| Infinitive verb | Cette chose m'a permis de comprendre la vérité | (This thing allowed me to understand the truth) |
| Subordinate clause | Nous obeissons à ce que vous nous dites. | (We do what you say) |
Exercises
- Fill in the blank exercise about indirect object pronouns in French
- Drag and drop exercise about the COI in French
- Flashcards exercise about the COI in French
Fill in the blank exercise about indirect object pronouns in French
Drag and drop exercise about the COI in French
Flashcards exercise about the COI in French
Exercises
- Fill in the blank exercise about indirect object pronouns in French
- Drag and drop exercise about the COI in French
- Flashcards exercise about the COI in French
Fill in the blank exercise about indirect object pronouns in French
Drag and drop exercise about the COI in French
Flashcards exercise about the COI in French
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