grammar
Personal object pronouns: me, te, nous, vous.
In English, when someone does something to us or for us, the pronoun goes after the verb: "He sees me" or "I am talking to you." In French, this is reversed. These personal object pronouns must be placed directly before the verb.
The Pronouns
These four pronouns are incredibly common in daily conversation. They represent the person receiving the action (either directly or indirectly).
- me (or m' before a vowel): me / to me
- te (or t' before a vowel): you / to you (informal singular)
- nous: us / to us
- vous: you / to you (formal or plural)
English logic: You give a pen to me.
« Vous me donnez un stylo. »
English logic: I lend my book to you.
« Je vous prête mon livre. »
English logic: She sends a message to you (informal).
« Elle t'envoie un message. » (Notice how "te" becomes "t'" before the vowel)
English logic: They are calling us tonight.
« Ils nous appellent ce soir. »
Negative Sentences
When you need to make a sentence negative using ne...pas, the pronoun and the verb act as an inseparable team. The negative words wrap around both of them like a sandwich.
Structure: Subject + ne + [Pronoun + Verb] + pas
« Tu ne m'écoutes pas ! » (You are not listening to me!)
« Il ne nous regarde pas. » (He is not looking at us.)