What is the preceding direct object in French and how do I use it?

We talk about the preceding direct object in French when the object of a verb (the thing which is having the action of the verb done to it) comes before the verb itself in a sentence. When this happens, we have to change the verb slightly. We have to make it agree with the gender (masculine or feminine) and the quantity (singular or plural) of its object. This applies when we are using the past tense or a reflexive verb. So, for example, if you want to say: I have a chat - J'ai un chat I have a rose - J'ai une roseI have homework to do - J'ai des devoirs à faireThe homework, the cat and the rose are the things which are being 'had', so they are the direct object of the verb. But, if we change the sentence a little so that the object comes first: The cat which I have chosen - Le chat que j'ai choisi (the past participle choisi doesn't look any different but it is agreeing with the masculine singular form)The rose which I have seen - La rose que j'ai vue (the past participle vu has to agree with the feminine rose so it becomes vue)The homework which I have done - Les devoirs que j'ai faits (the past participle fait has to agree with the plural devoirs so it becomes faits)

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Answered by Beth M. MLAT (Modern Languages) tutor

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