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Direct Object Pronouns (Singular)

FoundationHigherAQA

Revise Direct Object Pronouns (Singular) for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). Singular direct object pronouns me, te, vous, le and la go before the verb.

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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

Foundation

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Higher

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Topic overview

A direct object pronoun replaces a noun that receives the action of the verb directly, with no preposition in between.

The singular forms are me, te, le and la. Me means me, te means you, le means him or it, and la means her or it. So je vois Marc becomes je le vois, and je vois Marie becomes je la vois.

The word order is the point that catches everyone. In French the pronoun goes before the verb, not after it as in English. Je le vois means I see him — literally I him see. Writing je vois le is wrong. The pronoun sits immediately before the verb it belongs to.

Revision notes

The singular forms

Me: me. Te: you. Le: him or it. La: her or it.

Le and la match the gender of the noun replaced, so le livre becomes le and la table becomes la, meaning it in both cases.

Word order

The pronoun goes BEFORE the verb, unlike English.

Je le vois — I see him, literally I him see. Je la connais — I know her. Placing the pronoun after the verb is the most common error and produces something clearly wrong.

In the negative

The pronoun stays with the verb inside the ne and pas.

Je ne le vois pas — I do not see him. The order is ne, then pronoun, then verb, then pas. The pronoun never moves outside the negative.

Key points

  • Direct object pronouns replace the receiver of the action.
  • The singular forms are me, te, le and la.
  • Le means him or it.
  • La means her or it.
  • The pronoun goes before the verb.
  • In the negative it sits inside ne and pas.

Worked examples

Example 1

Replace the noun in: Je vois Marc. [2 marks]

Working

Je le voisreplace Marc with the masculine pronoun
Le goes before the verb, not after it as in Englishplace the pronoun correctly

Example 2

Replace the noun in: Je connais Marie. [2 marks]

Working

Je la connaisreplace Marie with the feminine pronoun
La is placed before the verb connaisplace the pronoun correctly

Example 3

Make this negative: Je le vois. [2 marks]

Working

Je ne le vois pasadd ne before the pronoun and pas after the verb
The pronoun stays between ne and the verbkeep the pronoun in place

Common mistakes

  • Putting the pronoun after the verb.

    French places it before: je le vois, not je vois le.

  • Using the wrong gender.

    Le for masculine nouns, la for feminine.

  • Moving the pronoun outside the negative.

    It stays between ne and the verb.

  • Confusing direct and indirect objects.

    Direct objects follow the verb with no preposition.

Exam tips

  • Always place the pronoun before the verb.
  • Match le or la to the noun's gender.
  • Keep the pronoun inside ne and pas.
  • Check there is no preposition before the noun.

Key terms

Direct object
A noun receiving the action with no preposition.
Object pronoun
A word replacing the object of a verb.
Word order
The French rule placing the pronoun before the verb.
Le
The masculine direct object pronoun, meaning him or it.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.