Usage note : them

When used as a direct object pronoun, referring to people, animals or things, them is translated by les :

I know them

= je les connais

Note that the object pronoun normally

comes before the verb in French and that in compound tenses like the present perfect and past perfect, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the direct object pronoun :

He’s seen them

(them being masculine or of mixed gender)

= il les a vus

(them being all feminine gender)

= il les a vues

In imperatives, the direct object pronoun is translated by les and comes after the verb :

catch them!

= attrape-les! (note the hyphen)

When used as an indirect object pronoun, them is translated by leur :

I gave them it or I gave it to them

= je le leur ai donné

In imperatives, the indirect object pronoun is translated by leur and comes after the verb :

phone them!

= téléphone-leur! (note the hyphen)

After prepositions and the verb to be, the translation is eux for masculine or mixed gender and elles for feminine gender :

he did it for them

= il l’a fait pour eux or pour elles

it’s them

= ce sont eux or ce sont elles

For particular usages see the entry them.

Big English-French dictionary. 2003.