Does lui mean him or her in French?

Both, when it comes before a verb as an indirect object: je lui ai parlé means I spoke to him or I spoke to her. When it follows a preposition or stands alone, it is masculine only, so avec lui is with him and the feminine is avec elle.

What's the difference between lui and le?

Le is a direct object and lui is an indirect one. Verbs like voir, appeler and connaître take le; verbs like parler, écrire and téléphoner take lui, because they need à before the person. It's the verb that decides, not the English translation.

Why is it Je pense à lui and not Je lui pense?

Penser à belongs to a small group of verbs that keep their preposition in front of a stressed pronoun. Tenir à, s'intéresser à and faire attention à behave the same way. With a thing rather than a person, they use y: j'y pense.

What is the plural of lui?

It depends on the role. The indirect object lui becomes leur, with no s ever: je leur parle. The stressed lui becomes eux for a masculine or mixed group: avec eux, plus vieux qu'eux. Feminine groups take elles in both roles.

How do I say he did it himself?

Il l'a fait lui-même. The -même suffix attaches to the stressed pronoun and gives the emphatic himself. Don't reach for the reflexive here: il se l'est fait would suggest he had it done to himself, which is a different idea altogether.

French grammar · Intermediate

Lui in French: To Him, To Her, and Plain Him

Written by Camille Laurent, Lead French Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Lui is two different pronouns wearing the same clothes. In front of a verb it is the indirect object meaning to him or to her, with no gender at all: je lui écris. After a preposition or standing alone it is the stressed pronoun meaning him, and there it is strictly masculine: avec lui, c'est lui.

Je lui ai parlé de toi, et je suis rentré avec lui.

I spoke to him about you, and I came home with him.

What it is

Two unrelated pronouns happen to be spelled lui. The first is the third-person indirect object, used for a person reached through à, and it covers both genders. The second is the masculine stressed pronoun, the counterpart of moi and toi, used wherever a pronoun has to stand on its own feet. Position tells you instantly which one you're reading.

Je lui téléphone, puis je sors avec lui. — I'm phoning him, then I'm going out with him.

How to spot it

Look at what lui is next to. Immediately before a verb, it's the indirect object and could mean to her. After a preposition, after c'est, or alone in an answer, it's the stressed masculine him.

Je lui ai donné mon numéro. — I gave him — or her — my number.
Ce cadeau est pour lui. — This present is for him.
C'est lui qui a payé. — He's the one who paid.
Lui, il ne dit jamais rien. — He never says anything.

The indirect lui is genderless, which is why a French speaker can say je lui ai parlé without revealing whether the person was a man or a woman. The stressed lui always means a man.

Lui Quick Reference

The two luis, side by side

Use	Position	Gender	Example
Indirect object	before the verb	him or her	Je lui parle — I'm talking to him/her
Stressed pronoun	after a preposition	masculine only	avec lui — with him
After c'est	after the verb	masculine only	C'est lui — it's him
Emphasis	at the head of the clause	masculine only	Lui, il refuse — he refuses
In a comparison	after que	masculine only	plus grand que lui — taller than him
With -même	after the verb or noun	masculine only	Il l'a fait lui-même — he did it himself
Feminine equivalent	—	elle in both roles	avec elle, je lui parle

Common Lui Examples in French

The two uses in circulation, then the places lui is compulsory:

Lui as an Indirect Object

Je lui ai écrit une longue lettre.: I wrote him a long letter.
Tu lui as dit la vérité ?: Did you tell him the truth?
On lui a offert un vélo.: They gave her a bike.
Ne lui réponds pas tout de suite.: Don't answer him straight away.

In this role lui replaces à plus a person, whatever their gender. Its plural is leur, which never takes an s.

Lui as a Stressed Pronoun

Je travaille avec lui depuis dix ans.: I've worked with him for ten years.
Sans lui, on n'aurait rien fait.: Without him, we'd have got nothing done.
Elle est plus jeune que lui.: She's younger than him.
Qui a appelé ? Lui.: Who called? He did.

Here lui is the masculine partner of elle, and its plural is eux: avec eux, plus grands qu'eux.

Verbs That Force the Indirect Lui

Ce manteau lui va bien.: That coat suits him.
Cette idée lui plaît.: He likes that idea.
Son frère lui manque.: He misses his brother.
Elle lui ressemble beaucoup.: She looks a lot like him.

Aller, plaire, manquer and ressembler put the person in the indirect slot, which turns the English sentence inside out.

Verbs That Refuse It

Je pense souvent à lui.: I often think about him.
Elle tient beaucoup à lui.: She's very attached to him.
Fais attention à lui.: Keep an eye on him.
Il s'intéresse à lui depuis longtemps.: He's been interested in him for a long time.

Penser à, tenir à, faire attention à and s'intéresser à keep the preposition and take the stressed form after it. Je lui pense does not exist.

How to Tell the Two Luis Apart

One is grammatical machinery, the other is a full-weight word. Everything follows from that difference.

Before the Verb, Lui Is Indirect and Genderless

In this position lui replaces à plus a person of either sex. If you need to specify, you have to add something: je lui ai parlé, à elle.

Je lui ai demandé son avis.

I asked her for her opinion.

lui + verb = to him or to her.

After a Preposition, Lui Is Masculine

The stressed series is gendered: lui for a man, elle for a woman, eux and elles in the plural. So pour lui and pour elle are a genuine minimal pair.

Ce message est pour lui, pas pour elle.

This message is for him, not for her.

avec lui / avec elle.

It Never Becomes le or la

Lui and le are not two forms of one word; they mark two different roles. Verbs that take a bare object use le, and verbs that need à use lui, so the choice is fixed by the verb.

Je le vois demain et je lui parlerai.

I'm seeing him tomorrow and I'll talk to him.

voir → le, parler → lui.

No Participle Agreement With the Indirect Lui

Agreement is triggered by a preceding direct object only. Since lui is indirect, the past participle stays in its base form, which is often the only written clue to the role.

Je lui ai répondu, puis je l'ai raccompagnée.

I answered her, then I walked her home.

lui → no agreement, l' → agreement.

In a Cluster, Lui Comes After le, la and les

When two third-person pronouns meet, the direct object goes first. The order is set by the grammar, not by the English sentence, where the indirect object usually comes last.

Ce livre ? Je le lui ai rendu hier.

That book? I gave it back to him yesterday.

le lui, la lui, les lui.

Common Mistakes with Lui

Incorrect: Je lui vois demain. — I'm seeing him tomorrow.

Correct: Je le vois demain. — I'm seeing him tomorrow.

Voir takes a direct object, so the pronoun is le. Lui only appears with verbs that reach the person through à, such as parler and écrire.

Incorrect: Ma sœur ? Je pars avec lui. — My sister? I'm leaving with her.

Correct: Ma sœur ? Je pars avec elle. — My sister? I'm leaving with her.

After a preposition, lui is masculine and nothing else. The genderless lui exists only in front of the verb, and it's easy to carry that neutrality over into a position where it doesn't apply.

Incorrect: Je lui ai parlée hier. — I spoke to her yesterday.

Correct: Je lui ai parlé hier. — I spoke to her yesterday.

The indirect lui never triggers participle agreement, even when it refers to a woman. Only a preceding direct object does that.

Incorrect: Je lui le donne. — I'm giving it to him.

Correct: Je le lui donne. — I'm giving it to him.

In a cluster of third-person pronouns the direct object comes first. English order puts the indirect object at the end, which pulls learners the wrong way.

The Stressed Lui in Detail

Three patterns where lui carries its own weight rather than propping up a verb.

Lui-même and reinforcing lui

Add -même for himself in the emphatic sense, and repeat the pronoun at the front of the clause for contrast. Both are stressed uses, so lui is masculine here.

Il a tout construit lui-même.: He built it all himself.
Lui, il n'est jamais content.: He's never happy.
Lui aussi voudrait venir.: He'd like to come too.
Lui seul peut décider.: He alone can decide.

Do not confuse lui-même with the reflexive se: il se lave means he washes himself, while il l'a fait lui-même stresses that nobody helped.

Lui in comparisons, coordination and short answers

Anywhere a pronoun has no verb to lean on, the stressed form is the only option: after que in a comparison, in a list joined by et, and as a one-word reply.

Elle court plus vite que lui.: She runs faster than him.
Lui et moi, nous sommes voisins.: He and I are neighbours.
Qui veut essayer ? Lui.: Who wants to try? He does.
Je pense comme lui.: I think the same way he does.

When a pair like lui et moi is the subject, the verb goes into the nous form, and nous is often repeated: lui et moi, nous partons.

Chez lui, à lui and possession

Stressed lui follows every preposition, including the à that marks possession after être. That gives French a way of insisting on whose something is.

On dîne chez lui ce soir.: We're having dinner at his place tonight.
Cette voiture est à lui.: That car is his.
Il l'a fait pour lui, pas pour nous.: He did it for himself, not for us.
Elle est assise à côté de lui.: She's sitting next to him.

C'est à lui also means it's his turn, so the phrase does double duty depending on context.

Lui FAQs

Does lui mean him or her in French?: Both, when it comes before a verb as an indirect object: je lui ai parlé means I spoke to him or I spoke to her. When it follows a preposition or stands alone, it is masculine only, so avec lui is with him and the feminine is avec elle.
What's the difference between lui and le?: Le is a direct object and lui is an indirect one. Verbs like voir, appeler and connaître take le; verbs like parler, écrire and téléphoner take lui, because they need à before the person. It's the verb that decides, not the English translation.
Why is it Je pense à lui and not Je lui pense?: Penser à belongs to a small group of verbs that keep their preposition in front of a stressed pronoun. Tenir à, s'intéresser à and faire attention à behave the same way. With a thing rather than a person, they use y: j'y pense.
What is the plural of lui?: It depends on the role. The indirect object lui becomes leur, with no s ever: je leur parle. The stressed lui becomes eux for a masculine or mixed group: avec eux, plus vieux qu'eux. Feminine groups take elles in both roles.
How do I say he did it himself?: Il l'a fait lui-même. The -même suffix attaches to the stressed pronoun and gives the emphatic himself. Don't reach for the reflexive here: il se l'est fait would suggest he had it done to himself, which is a different idea altogether.