Published February 16, 2022 • Updated June 17, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Lui — Meaning and Pronunciation
Lui is a French pronoun that can mean him, to him, or to her, depending on how it is used in a sentence. As an indirect object pronoun, lui means “to him” or “to her,” while as a stressed pronoun, it means “him.” It is one of the most common French pronouns and is used frequently in both spoken and written French.
IPA pronunciation of lui is /lɥi/, which sounds approximately like “lwee”.
Example Sentences
Lui as an indirect object pronoun
An indirect object pronoun replaces the person receiving the action of a verb, usually introduced by to in English. For example, “I speak to John” -> “I speak to him”. “I speak to Mary” -> “I speak to her”. In these examples, him and her are indirect object pronouns.
In French, lui is the indirect object pronoun for both him and her. It is used with verbs that take an indirect object introduced by à.
Je parle à Pierre -> Je lui parle.
I speak to Pierre. I speak to him.
Je parle à Marie -> Je lui parle.
I speak to Marie. I speak to her.
Je lui réponds.
I reply to him/her (I answer him/her).
Je lui obéis.
I obey him/her.
Note: For the verb penser (to think), you must used the stressed pronoun. Je pense à lui (I’m thinking about him). You cannot say, je lui pense.
Je pense à lui / Je pense à elle.
I’m thinking about him/her.
French pronouns lui vs le
Many students confuse when to use lui and when to use le as object pronouns. Use lui for both “him” and “her” with verbs that take à and le for him for verbs not followed by à.
- Je lui réponds. I answer him/her. (verb is répondre à; to answer)
- Je le vois. I see him. (verb is voir; to see)
Je le vois.
I see him.
Lui as a stressed pronoun
When used as a stressed pronoun, lui means “him”. To say “her” you must use elle.
Je travaille pour lui.
I work for him.
Il est chez lui.
He’s at home.
When used as a stressed pronoun, lui can be used to put emphasis on the subject. For example:
Lui, il n’aime pas son travail.
As for him, he doesn’t like his job.
To express possession, à lui can be used. For example:
La voiture est à lui.
The car is his.
As a stressed pronoun, lui can also be used for comparisons.
Je cours plus vite que lui.
I run faster than him.
👉 In addition to lui, many students also struggle with subject pronoun “on”. What does it mean and when do you use it over nous for “we”?
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📚 Related lessons
👉 Object pronouns »
👉 Stressed pronouns »
👉 French verbs followed by à »
👉 leur vs. leurs »
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