Understanding Object Pronoun Verb Order in French

Understanding Object Pronoun Verb Order in French Mistakes will always be made in French, and now you can learn from them. There are two kinds of object pronouns, direct and indirect. Beginning students of French tend to misplace them and the result can be nonsense to the French ear. The rule of thumb: Place object pronouns before  the verb, with the indirect going before the direct object pronoun. When the verb is in the passà © composà © or another compound verb that includes an auxiliary verb, the pronoun precedes the entire verb; in other words, before the auxiliary verb, which is  the conjugated avoir  or  Ãƒ ªtre. The Correct Format Its never correct to say  Jai lui dit. The pronoun lui goes before ai, which begins the compound verb, like this: Je lui ai dit (Im telling him). The major exception is the imperative mood (limperatif), when object pronouns follow the verb: Donne-le-lui (Give it to him/her). Here are some examples of the correct format: Tu las vu? Have you seen it?Je lui ai dit la và ©rità ©. I told him/her the truth.Il  leur  achà ¨te des livres.   He buys books  for them.  Elle  ma à ©crit.   She wrote  to me.  *Je te lavais bien dit! I told you so! *In this example, there is both an indirect (te) and direct (le) object. Remember, the indirect object always comes first. The verb is still compound, but now the tense is plus-que-parfait (pluperfect) with the auxiliary verb in the imparfait (imperfect). So the object pronouns precede avais, which is the auxiliary verb here. Indirect Object Pronouns For indirect objects, the verbs action occurs to or for a person or other animate noun. Im talking to  Pierre. Je parle   Pierre.To whom  am I talking?  To Pierre. Indirect object pronouns  are the words that  replace  the name of the indirect object. They include:   Ã‚  Ã‚  me  /  m  Ã‚  Ã‚  me  Ã‚  Ã‚  te  /  t  Ã‚  Ã‚  you  Ã‚  Ã‚  lui  Ã‚  Ã‚  him, her  Ã‚  Ã‚  nous  Ã‚  Ã‚  us  Ã‚  Ã‚  vous  Ã‚  Ã‚  you  Ã‚  Ã‚  leur  Ã‚  Ã‚  them Me  and  te  change to  m  and  t, respectively, in front of a vowel or  mute H. Direct Object Pronouns Direct objects are the people or things in a sentence that receive the action of the verb. To find the direct object in a sentence, ask who or what. I see  Pierre. Je vois  Pierre.Who  do I see?  Pierre. Direct object pronouns  are the words that  replace  the direct object, so that we can avoid endlessly repeating the name of the object. They include:   Ã‚  Ã‚  me  /  m  Ã‚  Ã‚  me  Ã‚  Ã‚  te  /  t  Ã‚  Ã‚  you  Ã‚  Ã‚  le  /  l  Ã‚  Ã‚  him, it  Ã‚  Ã‚  la  /  l  Ã‚  Ã‚  her, it  Ã‚  Ã‚  nous  Ã‚  Ã‚  us  Ã‚  Ã‚  vous  Ã‚  Ã‚  you  Ã‚  Ã‚  les  Ã‚  Ã‚  them Me  and  te  change to  m  and  t, respectively, in front of a vowel or  mute H.  Le  and  la  both change to  l. Remember that both indirect object  pronouns and  direct object  pronouns precede the verb, with the indirect object pronoun going first. When deciding between direct and indirect objects, the general rule is that if the object is preceded by the  preposition  Ã‚  or  pour, that object is an indirect object. If its not preceded by a preposition, its a direct object. If its preceded by any other preposition, it cant be replaced  by an object pronoun.   If you have an indirect object thats not a person or animal, it can only be replaced with the  adverbial pronouns  y and en.  Y stands in for    a  noun  and usually means there or to it.  En  replaces  de a noun and usually means some, any, one, or of it/them.

How Dogs are Helping Cheetahs

How Dogs are Helping Cheetahs Dogs have long been considered mans best friend, but their characteristics of loyalty and protectiveness have also earned them the lesser known title of cheetahs best friend. Thats right; dogs are being used more and more frequently to assist in conservation efforts to preserve the endangered cheetah both in captivity and in the wild. Dogs at the Zoo Since the 1980s, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park has assigned companion dogs to cheetahs that are involved in the zoos captive breeding program. Janet Rose-Hinostroza, animal training supervisor at the Park, explains: A dominant dog is very helpful because cheetahs are quite shy instinctively, and you cant breed that out of them. When you pair them, the cheetah looks to the dog for cues and learns to model their behavior. Its about getting them to read that calm, happy-go-lucky vibe from the dog. The primary goal of comforting cheetahs through this unusual partnership is to make them at ease in their captive environment so that they will be able to breed with other cheetahs. Shyness and anxiety dont bode well for a breeding program, so the inter-species friendships that the cheetahs are able to form with dogs can actually benefit the long-term survival of this rare cat. The dogs enlisted by the Park are typically rescued from shelters, giving these homeless canines a new purpose in life. My favorite dog is Hopper because we found him at a kill shelter and hes just 40 pounds, but he lives with Amara, whos our toughest cheetah by far. Its not about strength or overpowering. Its about developing a positive relationship where the cheetah takes her cues from the dog. Cheetah cubs are paired with canine companions at about 3 or 4 months of age. They first meet on opposite sides of a fence with a keeper walking the dog on a leash. If all goes well, the two animals are able to meet for their first play date, although both are kept on leashes initially for safety. Were very protective of our cheetahs, so the introduction is a painfully slow process but a lot of fun. There are lots of toys and distractions, and theyre like two cute little kids who desperately want to play. But cheetahs are instinctively hardwired to feel uneasy so you have to wait and let the cat make the first move. Once the cheetah and dog establish a bond and prove to play well without leashes, they are moved into a shared living space where they spend almost every moment together, except feeding time, when the zoos dogs get to gather, play, and eat together. The dog is the dominant in the relationship, so if we didnt separate them, the dog would eat all the cheetahs food and wed have a really skinny cheetah and a really chubby dog. Among the zoos crew of companion mutts is one purebred Anatolian shepherd known as Yeti. Yeti was recruited to help cheetahs and also to act as a sort of mascot, representing her cousins in Africa who have revolutionized predator management and saved many cheetahs from being killed in defense of livestock. Dogs in the Wild The Cheetah Conservation Funds Livestock Guarding Dog Program is a successful, innovative program that has been helping to save wild cheetahs in Namibia since 1994. While Anatolian shepherds in Namibia do not work in cooperation with cheetahs, they still contribute to the wild cats survival. Before the dogs were employed as conservation tools, cheetahs were shot and trapped by ranchers who were trying to protect their goat herds. Dr. Laurie Marker, founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, began training Anatolian shepherds to protect the herds as a non-lethal predator management strategy, and since then, wild cheetah populations have been on the rise.