The Personal Pronouns Indirect Object replace nouns that function as indirect object in the sentence. They precede the verb and are used with intransitive verbs that take the preposition: à, au, aux. They answer the question: “À qui?” (To whom?) or “À quoi” (To what?).
Study the following example:
J’ai demandé à mon professeur la permission de sortir.
I asked my teacher for permission to leave.
Je lui ai demandé la permission de sortir.
I asked him for permission to leave.
“lui” is a personal pronoun that replaces “mon professeur” which functions as the indirect object in this sentence. It answers the following question: “’J'ai demandé à qui ? → à mon professeur.
Study the following example:
J’ai demandé à mon professeur la permission de sortir.
I asked my teacher for permission to leave.
Je lui ai demandé la permission de sortir.
I asked him for permission to leave.
“lui” is a personal pronoun that replaces “mon professeur” which functions as the indirect object in this sentence. It answers the following question: “’J'ai demandé à qui ? → à mon professeur.