A1 Pronouns 14 min read Medium

French Commands: Giving and Asking (m'en & t'en)

In affirmative commands, 'moi' and 'toi' become 'm'' and 't'' before 'en' to keep the sentence flowing smoothly.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use 'm'en' and 't'en' to command someone to give or take something, always placing the pronoun after the verb.

  • In affirmative commands, pronouns follow the verb: Donne-m'en (Give me some).
  • In negative commands, pronouns return before the verb: Ne m'en donne pas (Don't give me any).
  • Always use a hyphen between the verb and the pronoun in affirmative commands.
Verb + - + m'en / t'en

Overview

In French, issuing commands or making requests necessitates the use of the imperative mood. When these directives involve a quantity of something, or when referring to an unspecified portion of a noun, the adverbial pronoun en becomes indispensable. To ensure phonetic fluidity and grammatical correctness, especially when the command is directed at the speaker (me) or the informal listener (you), specialized contracted forms—m'en and t'en—are employed.

These constructions represent the elision of moi en and toi en respectively, combining the indirect object pronouns me (to me) and te (to you, informal singular) with en (some of it/them).

At the A1 beginner level, comprehending m'en and t'en is fundamental for articulating common daily interactions, such as requesting or offering "some of it" or "some of them" to yourself or an informal acquaintance. For example, if offered a beverage, you might respond Donne-m'en un verre ! (Give me a glass of it!). The formation of m'en and t'en serves to prevent an awkward hiatus, the clash of vowel sounds, which would otherwise occur.

Mastery of these contractions facilitates more natural and idiomatic French, enabling you to move beyond rudimentary sentence structures toward dynamic conversational proficiency.

How This Grammar Works

Understanding m'en and t'en requires a foundational grasp of the French imperative and its associated pronoun placement rules. The imperative mood conveys commands, requests, or advice, primarily using the tu, nous, and vous forms of verbs. In affirmative imperative constructions (commands to do something), object pronouns typically follow the verb and are connected by hyphens.
For instance, Regarde-moi (Look at me) or Écoute-toi (Listen to yourself).
Crucially, in affirmative imperative sentences, the indirect object pronouns me and te undergo a transformation to the disjunctive pronouns moi and toi when they directly follow the verb. This change ensures stronger emphasis and phonetic balance. However, a specific challenge arises when the adverbial pronoun en must also be included in such a command.
The pronoun en consistently replaces noun phrases introduced by de (e.g., de l'eau, des livres), partitive articles (du, de la, de l', des), or expressions of quantity (beaucoup de, un peu de). It broadly translates to "some/any of it/them" or "from there," serving to avoid cumbersome repetition.
Consider the ungrammatical *Donne-moi-en du pain. (Give me some bread of it.). The correct structure would be Donne-m'en ! (Give me some!). When en follows moi or toi in an affirmative command, a direct phonetic conflict occurs because both moi and en (as well as toi and en) begin with or prominently feature a vowel sound.
French grammar prioritizes smooth articulation and rhythm, leading to an elision (the dropping of a vowel sound) and subsequent contraction. Specifically, moi shortens to m' and toi shortens to t' when immediately preceding en (or y, another adverbial pronoun). This phenomenon, known as aphaeresis, removes the initial unstressed syllable (oi) of moi and toi to prevent the awkward vowel clash that would result from Donne-moi-en or Achète-toi-en.
The resulting m'en effectively conveys "some of it/them to me," and t'en conveys "some of it/them to you" (informal singular). This rule exemplifies how the French language adapts its morphology to maintain its characteristic melodic flow, making spoken French more efficient and phonetically pleasing. For example, the phrase Prends-m'en un morceau ! (Take a piece for me!) uses m' to smoothly connect the action of taking to the recipient and the unspecified quantity.
The contraction is a mandatory grammatical and phonetic adjustment, not an optional stylistic choice.

Formation Pattern

1
Forming commands with m'en and t'en involves a precise combination of the imperative verb form and these contracted pronouns, always linked by hyphens. This pattern aligns with the established structure for affirmative commands in French, where pronouns are affixed to the end of the verb.
2
Imperative Verb Conjugation:
3
First, ensure you correctly conjugate the verb into its imperative form. For most verbs, the imperative forms are derived from the present tense:
4
tu form: Generally identical to the present tense tu form, but for regular -er verbs (and aller), the final -s is dropped (e.g., parler -> parle, not parles). Other verbs retain the -s (e.g., finir -> finis).
5
nous form: Always identical to the present tense nous form (e.g., parler -> parlons).
6
vous form: Always identical to the present tense vous form (e.g., parler -> parlez).
7
Example verbs in the imperative tu form:
8
Manger -> Mange !
9
Finir -> Finis !
10
Prendre -> Prends !
11
Aller -> Va !
12
The Contraction Rule (Specificity):
13
As previously noted, me and te become moi and toi in affirmative imperatives. However, when these pronouns are directly followed by en (or y), they must contract to m' and t' respectively. This rule is absolute for m'en and t'en (and m'y, t'y).
14
Placement and Hyphenation:
15
The consistent structure for these commands is: Verb (imperative) - m'en / t'en. This means the verb comes first, followed by a hyphen, then m'en or t'en.
16
Table of Formation Examples:
17
| Verb (Infinitive) | tu Imperative (Base) | With m'en (tu) | With t'en (tu) | vous Imperative (Base) | With m'en (vous) | With t'en (vous) (using vous-en) |
18
|:------------------|:-----------------------|:-------------------|:-------------------|:-------------------------|:---------------------|:----------------------------------------|
19
| donner | Donne | Donne-m'en | Donne-t'en | Donnez | Donnez-m'en | Donnez-vous-en |
20
| acheter | Achète | Achète-m'en | Achète-t'en | Achetez | Achetez-m'en | Achetez-vous-en |
21
| dire | Dis | Dis-m'en | Dis-t'en | Dites | Dites-m'en | Dites-vous-en |
22
| prendre | Prends | Prends-m'en | Prends-t'en | Prenez | Prenez-m'en | Prenez-vous-en |
23
| envoyer | Envoie | Envoie-m'en | Envoie-t'en | Envoyez | Envoyez-m'en | Envoyez-vous-en |
24
Key Observation: Notice that for the vous form, the pronoun vous does not contract before en. It remains vous-en. This is a critical distinction that beginners often overlook. The contractions m' and t' are specific to me and te in the affirmative imperative before en or y.
25
Special Case: -ER Verb -s Re-addition Rule:
26
A well-known rule states that for regular -er verbs in the tu imperative, the final -s (dropped in normal imperative formation) is re-added if en or y alone immediately follows the verb. For example, Parle de l'argent ! -> Parle-en ! becomes Parles-en ! for phonetic reasons. However, this re-addition does not occur when m'en or t'en follows. The presence of m' or t' already provides the necessary consonant sound, preventing the vowel clash that the -s re-addition rule was designed to solve. Therefore, you say Donne-m'en ! (Give me some!), not Donnes-m'en. Similarly, Achète-t'en ! (Buy yourself some!) is correct, not Achètes-t'en. This nuance is a frequent point of confusion but becomes logical when considering the underlying phonetic motivation.
27
Idiomatic Expression: Va-t'en !
28
The phrase Va-t'en ! (Go away!/Get lost!) is an extremely common idiomatic expression derived from the reflexive verb s'en aller (to leave, to go away). Here, t' stands for toi, and en contributes to the meaning of movement or departure. Its vous equivalent is Allez-vous-en !. These are fixed phrases that you will encounter frequently.

When To Use It

The constructions m'en and t'en (and their vous equivalent, vous-en) are primarily employed in affirmative imperative sentences when you are:
  1. 1Asking for or Offering a Quantity: This is the most direct and common application. en inherently refers to an unspecified quantity, a portion, or multiple items of something previously mentioned or understood.
  • J'ai du chocolat. Donne-m'en un carré. (I have some chocolate. Give me a square of it.)
  • Tu as soif ? Prends-t'en un verre. (Are you thirsty? Take a glass of it [for yourself].)
  • Les enfants veulent des bonbons. Donnez-leur-en. (The children want candies. Give them some.)
  1. 1Referring to a Previously Mentioned Item or Concept: en replaces phrases starting with de + noun, whether it signifies possession, origin, or a partitive quantity. The specific item or concept must be clear from the context.
  • Ces livres sont intéressants. Lis-t'en quelques-uns. (These books are interesting. Read some of them [for yourself].)
  • Il y a des problèmes. Occupe-t'en ! (There are problems. Take care of them!)
  1. 1With Reflexive Verbs + en: Certain reflexive verbs combine with en to form idiomatic expressions where en is an inherent part of the verb's meaning, indicating removal, departure, or internal sensation. In the imperative, if the verb is reflexive, the reflexive pronoun (me/te) also transforms and then contracts with en.
  • S'en aller (to leave/go away): Va-t'en ! (Go away!)
  • S'en faire (to worry): Ne t'en fais pas ! (Don't worry!) - Note: This is a negative command, but illustrates t'en in an idiom.
  • S'en prendre à (to pick on/attack): Ne t'en prends pas à lui. (Don't pick on him.)
  1. 1Implicit Quantities: Even if no explicit quantity word like un peu or beaucoup is present, en still denotes "some" or "any" of the implied noun.
  • Du gâteau ? Mange-t'en ! (Some cake? Eat some of it!)
  • Les fleurs sont belles. Cueille-m'en une. (The flowers are beautiful. Pick me one of them.)
Contextual Usage Tips:
  • Use m'en when you are the recipient of the action involving "some of it/them."
  • Use t'en when addressing someone informally and they are the recipient of the action involving "some of it/them."
  • Use vous-en when addressing someone formally, or a group, and they are the recipient of the action involving "some of it/them." The formal/plural vous pronoun does not contract.

Common Mistakes

Beginners often make predictable errors when employing m'en and t'en. Recognizing these patterns and understanding their underlying grammatical or phonetic reasons is crucial for effective learning.
  1. 1Using moi en or toi en: This is the most fundamental error. The construction Donne-moi-en or Achète-toi-en is grammatically incorrect and phonetically jarring. The mandatory elision and contraction to m'en and t'en must always occur in affirmative commands.
  • Incorrect: *Dis-moi-en plus !
  • Correct: Dis-m'en plus ! (Tell me more about it!)
  1. 1Confusing with Negative Commands: The pronoun order for negative imperative commands is entirely different. In negative imperatives, all pronouns precede the verb, and me/te do not transform to moi/toi (they remain me/te).
  • Affirmative: Donne-m'en ! (Give me some!)
  • Negative: Ne m'en donne pas ! (Don't give me any!)
  • Incorrect: *Ne donne-m'en pas ! (The pronouns me and en must precede the verb in negative commands).
  1. 1Incorrectly Applying m'en/t'en to vous: The vous pronoun does not contract before en or y in affirmative imperatives. This is a crucial distinction from me and te.
  • Incorrect: *Donnez-v'en !
  • Correct: Donnez-vous-en ! (Give yourselves some! / Give formal you some!)
  1. 1Misplacing m'en/t'en: In affirmative imperatives, m'en and t'en always directly follow the verb, separated by a hyphen. They cannot be placed before the verb or separated from it by other words.
  • Incorrect: *M'en donne !
  • Correct: Donne-m'en !
  1. 1Incorrect -ER Verb -s Re-addition: As detailed in the formation section, the -s for tu imperative of -er verbs is re-added before en or y alone, but not before m'en or t'en.
  • Parler -> Parle ! -> Parles-en ! (Speak about it!)
  • Acheter -> Achète ! -> Achète-t'en ! (Buy some for yourself!)
  • Incorrect: *Achètes-t'en ! (This mistake often arises from over-generalizing the -s re-addition rule).
  1. 1Under-using en: Forgetting to use en when replacing de + noun or partitive articles can lead to grammatically incomplete sentences or awkward repetition.
  • Incorrect: Tu veux du café ? Bois ! (You want coffee? Drink!)
  • Correct: Tu veux du café ? Bois-en ! (You want coffee? Drink some!)

Real Conversations

M'en and t'en are pervasive in everyday French conversation, appearing in informal requests, offers, and idiomatic expressions. Their proper use is a hallmark of natural speech.

- Asking for Food/Drink: One of the most common contexts.

- Friend: Tu veux de la soupe ? (Do you want some soup?)

- You: Oui, s'il te plaît, donne-m'en un peu. (Yes, please, give me a little of it.)

- Or, more simply: Oui, donne-m'en. (Yes, give me some.)

- Offering Items: When passing something or suggesting an action related to an object.

- Parent to child: J'ai des biscuits. Prends-t'en un. (I have some biscuits. Take one for yourself.)

- Colleague: Voici le rapport. Fais-t'en une copie si tu veux. (Here's the report. Make a copy of it if you want.)

- Giving Advice or Instructions: Often involves en when referring to concepts or actions.

- Tes devoirs sont difficiles ? Ne t'en fais pas, je vais t'aider. (Your homework is difficult? Don't worry about it, I'll help you.) - Here, t'en is part of the fixed expression s'en faire in a negative command.

- Ces problèmes sont complexes. Occupe-t'en sérieusement. (These problems are complex. Deal with them seriously.)

- Informal Interactions and Texting: In casual contexts, these forms are highly frequent.

- Text from friend: T'as des stylos ? (Got any pens?)

- Your reply: Oui, j'en ai. Passe, je t'en donnerai. (Yes, I have some. Come over, I'll give you some.) - Note: The future tense is used here, so t'en precedes the verb.

- Friend texting about a party: On s'en va bientôt. (We're leaving soon.) Viens-t'en avec nous ! (Come along with us! - Viens-t'en is an informal variant of Viens avec nous where en implies "from your current place.")

- Cultural Insight: The use of en is deeply ingrained in French speech patterns, often replacing implied or previously mentioned quantities with an almost imperceptible efficiency. Native speakers use en reflexively, demonstrating how seamlessly it integrates into the flow of communication. Mastering m'en and t'en enhances not just grammatical accuracy but also your phonetic fluency, making your French sound more natural to a native ear. The contraction avoids the awkward moi en sound, which would break the typical French melodic rhythm.

Quick FAQ

  • Q: Can I use m'en with the nous imperative form?
  • A: No. The nous pronoun is nous, and it does not contract like me and te. You would say Donnez-nous-en ! (Give some to us!). The nous pronoun comes before en in affirmative commands, but after the verb and hyphenated (Verbe-nous-en).
  • Q: Does this rule apply to y (the adverbial pronoun for place) as well?
  • A: Yes, similar contraction rules apply for y when it follows moi or toi in an affirmative imperative. You would use m'y and t'y. For example, Va à la piscine ! -> Vas-y ! (Go there!). If it was Conduis-moi à la piscine ! you might say Conduis-m'y ! (Drive me there!). However, Vas-y is a fixed expression with s re-added for aller verb + y alone.
  • Q: Does this m'en/t'en rule apply to negative commands?
  • A: No. In negative commands, all object pronouns (including me, te, and en) precede the verb, and me/te do not transform into moi/toi. They remain me/te. For example, Ne m'en donne pas ! (Don't give me any!)
  • Q: How do I know when to use en in general?
  • A: En replaces a noun phrase introduced by de (e.g., parler de, venir de), a partitive article (du, de la, de l', des), or an expression of quantity (beaucoup de, un verre de). It essentially means "some/any of it/them" or "from there." If you can logically insert "some of it/them" or "from there" into the English equivalent, en is likely required.
  • Q: Is it always m'en or t'en, or can other pronouns contract similarly?
  • A: The contractions m' and t' (from moi and toi) are unique to me and te when followed by en or y in affirmative imperative constructions. Other pronouns (like nous, vous, le, la, les, lui, leur) do not contract in this specific manner before en or y.
  • Q: Is it okay to just say Donne-moi instead of Donne-m'en if I'm offering something?
  • A: Donne-moi ! means "Give me!" (e.g., "Give me the pen"). It implies giving a specific, usually previously mentioned, direct object. Donne-m'en ! means "Give me some of it/them." The difference lies in whether you're referring to a specific item (which would require le, la, les) or an unspecified quantity of something (which requires en). If you want "some," you must use en.

Imperative with m'en / t'en

Mood Pronoun Verb Result
Affirmative
me
donne
donne-m'en
Affirmative
te
prends
prends-t'en
Negative
me
donne
ne m'en donne pas
Negative
te
prends
ne t'en prends pas

Meanings

These forms combine the indirect object pronouns (me/te) with the adverbial pronoun 'en' (some/of it) to create concise commands.

1

Giving

Requesting or commanding someone to provide a quantity of something.

“Donne-m'en deux.”

“Donne-t'en si tu veux.”

2

Taking

Granting permission or commanding someone to take a quantity of something.

“Prends-m'en un.”

“Prends-t'en un autre.”

Reference Table

Reference table for French Commands: Giving and Asking (m'en & t'en)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Verb-m'en
Donne-m'en
Affirmative
Verb-t'en
Prends-t'en
Negative
Ne m'en Verb pas
Ne m'en donne pas
Negative
Ne t'en Verb pas
Ne t'en prends pas
Interrogative
Verb-m'en ?
Donne-m'en ?
Short Answer
M'en
M'en, s'il te plaît

Formality Spectrum

Formal
Donnez-m'en, s'il vous plaît.

Donnez-m'en, s'il vous plaît. (Dining)

Neutral
Donne-m'en.

Donne-m'en. (Dining)

Informal
Donne-m'en un peu.

Donne-m'en un peu. (Dining)

Slang
File-m'en un peu.

File-m'en un peu. (Dining)

The Pronoun Shift

Imperative

Affirmative

  • Donne-m'en Give me some

Negative

  • Ne m'en donne pas Don't give me any
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Examples by Level

1

Donne-m'en un.

Give me one.

2

Prends-t'en un.

Take one for yourself.

3

Donne-m'en deux.

Give me two.

4

Prends-m'en un peu.

Take a little for me.

1

Ne m'en donne pas.

Don't give me any.

2

Donne-m'en s'il te plaît.

Give me some, please.

3

Prends-t'en beaucoup.

Take a lot for yourself.

4

Ne t'en prends pas.

Don't take any for yourself.

1

Si tu as des pommes, donne-m'en.

If you have apples, give me some.

2

Il y a du gâteau, prends-t'en une part.

There is cake, take a slice for yourself.

3

Ne m'en demande pas trop.

Don't ask me for too much of it.

4

Donne-m'en dès que possible.

Give me some as soon as possible.

1

Puisque tu as des idées, donne-m'en quelques-unes.

Since you have ideas, give me a few.

2

Ne t'en fais pas, prends-t'en un autre.

Don't worry, take another one for yourself.

3

Donne-m'en la moitié, pas plus.

Give me half of it, no more.

4

Ne m'en parle plus, prends-t'en un.

Don't talk to me about it anymore, take one for yourself.

1

Si tu possèdes des preuves, donne-m'en une copie.

If you possess evidence, give me a copy.

2

Prends-t'en autant que tu souhaites.

Take as much as you wish for yourself.

3

Ne m'en tiens pas rigueur, prends-t'en un.

Don't hold it against me, take one for yourself.

4

Donne-m'en l'accès dès maintenant.

Give me access to it right now.

1

Donne-m'en la quintessence, rien de plus.

Give me the quintessence of it, nothing more.

2

Prends-t'en à ton aise, il y en a beaucoup.

Take as much as you like, there is plenty.

3

Ne m'en déplaise, prends-t'en un exemplaire.

If it doesn't displease me, take a copy for yourself.

4

Donne-m'en le loisir d'y réfléchir.

Give me the leisure to think about it.

Easily Confused

French Commands: Giving and Asking (m'en & t'en) vs Direct Object Pronouns

Learners confuse 'en' with 'le/la/les'.

French Commands: Giving and Asking (m'en & t'en) vs Indirect Object Pronouns

Learners confuse 'lui/leur' with 'm'en'.

French Commands: Giving and Asking (m'en & t'en) vs Standard Imperative

Learners forget the hyphen.

Common Mistakes

✗

Donne m'en

✓

Donne-m'en

Missing hyphen.
✗

Ne donne-m'en pas

✓

Ne m'en donne pas

Pronouns stay before the verb in negative.
✗

Donne-me en

✓

Donne-m'en

Must elide 'me' to 'm'' before 'en'.
✗

Prends-te en

✓

Prends-t'en

Must elide 'te' to 't'' before 'en'.
✗

Donne-moi en

✓

Donne-m'en

Use 'm'' not 'moi' before 'en'.
✗

Prends-toi en

✓

Prends-t'en

Use 't'' not 'toi' before 'en'.
✗

Ne prends-t'en pas

✓

Ne t'en prends pas

Negative placement error.
✗

Donne-m'en le

✓

Donne-m'en

Redundant object.
✗

Ne m'en pas donne

✓

Ne m'en donne pas

Verb position error.
✗

Donne-m'en de ça

✓

Donne-m'en

Redundant 'en' replacement.
✗

Donne-m'en-le

✓

Donne-m'en

Clitic cluster confusion.
✗

Ne m'en aie pas donné

✓

Ne m'en donne pas

Tense error.
✗

Prends-t'en-y

✓

Prends-t'en

Adverbial confusion.

Sentence Patterns

Donne-m'en ___.

Prends-t'en ___.

Ne m'en ___ pas.

Si tu as ___, donne-m'en.

Real World Usage

Bakery constant

Donne-m'en deux.

Cafe very common

Donne-m'en un autre.

Texting common

Donne-m'en !

Dinner Party common

Prends-t'en un peu.

Shopping common

Donne-m'en trois.

Job Interview rare

Donnez-m'en les détails.

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💡

Hyphenation

Always use a hyphen in affirmative commands. It's the mark of a pro.
⚠️

Negative Placement

Don't forget that negative commands pull pronouns back to the front.
🎯

Elision

Remember to use 'm'' and 't'' before 'en'. Never use 'me en' or 'te en'.
💬

Politeness

Add 's'il te plaît' to soften your command.

Smart Tips

Check if it's affirmative or negative first.

Donne m'en → Donne-m'en

Remember 'm'en' = me + some.

Donne-moi de ça → Donne-m'en

Move the pronouns before the verb.

Ne donne-m'en pas → Ne m'en donne pas

Always drop the 'e' before 'en'.

Donne-me en → Donne-m'en

Pronunciation

m'en sounds like 'mon' without the nasal.

Elision

The 'e' in 'me' and 'te' is dropped before 'en'.

donne-m'en is pronounced as one word.

Hyphenation

The hyphen is a visual cue for a single breath group.

Command

Donne-m'en! ↘

Falling intonation for a direct command.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

M'en is for ME, T'en is for YOU. Think: 'M'en' (Me-some) and 'T'en' (Take-some).

Visual Association

Imagine a waiter handing you a plate. You say 'Donne-m'en' (Give me some). Then you hand a plate to your friend and say 'Prends-t'en' (Take some).

Rhyme

Donne-m'en, take some more, leave the rest upon the floor.

Story

Pierre is at a bakery. He sees delicious croissants. He tells the baker 'Donne-m'en deux' (Give me two). His friend is shy, so Pierre tells him 'Prends-t'en un' (Take one for yourself). The baker says 'Ne m'en reste plus' (I have none left).

Word Web

DonnePrendsM'enT'enNePasEn

Challenge

For the next 5 minutes, label everything you eat or drink as 'm'en' or 't'en' in your head.

Cultural Notes

Used constantly in boulangeries and cafes.

Very common, often shortened in speech.

Used in the same way as standard French.

Derived from Latin 'dare' (to give) and the adverbial 'inde' (from there).

Conversation Starters

“

Tu as du chocolat ? Donne-m'en !

“

Je veux des bonbons. Prends-t'en ?

“

Si tu as des idées, donne-m'en.

“

Ne m'en donne pas, j'en ai assez.

Journal Prompts

Write about a time you shared food with a friend.
Write a dialogue between a customer and a baker.
Describe how to share resources in a group project.
Reflect on the importance of sharing in your culture.

Common Mistakes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank.

Donne-____ un.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: m'en
Correct pronoun and elision.
Choose the correct form. Multiple Choice

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ne m'en donne pas
Negative placement rule.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Prends-te en un.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Prends-t'en un
Elision of 'te'.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ne m'en donne pas
Correct negative word order.
Translate to French. Translation

Give me some.

Answer starts with: Don...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Donne-m'en
Standard form.
Choose the correct form. Multiple Choice

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Prends-t'en
Correct pronoun and elision.
Fill in the blank.

Ne ____ prends pas.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: t'en
Negative placement.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

donne / m'en / deux

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Donne-m'en deux
Correct order.

Score: /8

Practice Exercises

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

Donne-____ un.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: m'en
Correct pronoun and elision.
Choose the correct form. Multiple Choice

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ne m'en donne pas
Negative placement rule.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Prends-te en un.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Prends-t'en un
Elision of 'te'.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

pas / donne / m'en / ne

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ne m'en donne pas
Correct negative word order.
Translate to French. Translation

Give me some.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Donne-m'en
Standard form.
Choose the correct form. Multiple Choice

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Prends-t'en
Correct pronoun and elision.
Fill in the blank.

Ne ____ prends pas.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: t'en
Negative placement.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

donne / m'en / deux

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Donne-m'en deux
Correct order.

Score: /8

Practice Bank

10 exercises
Complete the sentence: 'Buy yourself some' (informal) Fill in the Blank

Achète-___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: t'en
Which is the correct formal command for 'Give me some'? Multiple Choice

Pick the correct formal option:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Donnez-m'en
Translate 'Tell me about it!' to French Translation

Tell me about it!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Parle-m'en !
Put the words in the correct order: (m'en / Donne / -) Sentence Reorder

Reorder: m'en | Donne | -

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Donne-m'en
Match the English to the French Match Pairs

Match the commands:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Go away = Va-t'en
Fix the error in this command Error Correction

Apporte-moi-en un !

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apporte-m'en un !
Say 'Grab me some' (informal) Fill in the Blank

Prends-___ !

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: m'en
Which sounds most natural for 'Get out!'? Multiple Choice

Informal 'Get out':

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Va-t'en !
Formal command: 'Pour me some' Fill in the Blank

Servez-___ un verre.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: m'en
Reorder: t'en | Va | - Sentence Reorder

Reorder: t'en | Va | -

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Va-t'en

Score: /10

FAQ (8)

The hyphen connects the verb and pronoun in affirmative commands to show they act as one unit.

No, 'moi' is only used in specific emphatic cases. Before 'en', it must be 'm''.

It works with verbs that take 'en', like 'donner' or 'prendre'.

It's a direct command, so add 's'il te plaît' to be polite.

Use 'donne-le-moi'. 'M'en' is specifically for quantities.

French grammar rules dictate that pronouns move before the verb in negative sentences.

Only if it's a very informal email to a friend.

Yes, but 't'en' is for 'you' and 'm'en' is for 'me'.

Scaffolded Practice

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4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish moderate

Dame un poco

Spanish lacks the adverbial pronoun 'en' in this context.

German moderate

Gib mir davon

German is not a clitic-heavy language.

Japanese low

Sukoshi kudasai

Japanese has no pronoun-verb fusion.

Arabic low

A'tini ba'd

Arabic uses suffixes, not clitic clusters.

Chinese low

Gei wo yidian

Chinese has no verb conjugation or clitics.

French high

Donne-m'en

None.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
French Imperative Pronouns: (Moi) and (Toi)

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