Position of French Object Pronouns - with infinitives

In French, object pronouns always take a specific position in a sentence with an infinitive verb.

Position of object pronouns with infinitive verbs in French

Look at these affirmative sentences, negative sentences and inverted questions:

affirmative sentences

Je peux la rencontrer aujourd'hui.I can meet her today.

Valérie doit le garder ce soir.Valérie must babysit him tonight.

J'aimais l'écouter.I used to like listening to him.

negative sentences

Tu ne veux pas les acheter.You don't want to buy them.

Ils ne savent pas l'épeler.They don't know how to spell it.

Je ne pouvais jamais la rattraper.I could never catch up with her.

inverted questions

Allons-nous lui parler ?Are we going to talk to her ?

Doit-on les attendre ?Do we have to wait for them?

Souhaites-tu l'essayer ?Do you wish to try it on?

In French, when object pronouns are used in sentences with a conjugated verb + an infinitive, they are always placed right before the infinitive.

 

See also Using le/la/l'/les = it/him/her/them (French Direct Object Pronouns),
Using lui/leur = him or her/them (French Indirect Object Pronouns)
and Me/te/nous/vous = Me/you/us/you (French Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns)

Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Examples and resources

Valérie doit le garder ce soir.Valérie must babysit him tonight.
Doit-on les attendre ?Do we have to wait for them?
Souhaites-tu l'essayer ?Do you wish to try it on?
Je peux la rencontrer aujourd'hui.I can meet her today.
Je vais leur téléphoner.I'm going to phone them.
Tu détestes les entendre.You hate to hear them.
J'aimais l'écouter.I used to like listening to him.
Allons-nous lui parler ?Are we going to talk to her ?
Tu ne veux pas les acheter.You don't want to buy them.
Ils ne savent pas l'épeler.They don't know how to spell it.
Je ne pouvais jamais la rattraper.I could never catch up with her.
I'll be right with you...