J'ai lui dit - French Mistake

Mistakes will always be made in French, and now you can learn from them.

Wrong: J'ai lui dit

Right: Je lui ai dit

Explanation: When you have a direct or indirect object in French, it has to precede the verb: Je lui dis (I'm telling him.) When the verb is in the passé composé or another compound tense, the object has to precede the helping verb (avoir or être). So the correct way to say "I told him" isn't "j'ai lui dit," but rather je lui ai dit. Likewise, "I saw it" is je l'ai vu, not "j'ai le vu."

Related lessons:
   Passé composé
   Compound tenses
   Helping verbs
   Direct and indirect objects