fatesock

[tulip pendant]

Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

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Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

[safe vector]

In composed tenses, when the auxiliary verb is "avoir" as it is here (je les lui ai données), the past participle ("donné") must agree with the direct object of the verb if that direct object appears before the auxiliary in the sentence.

Je lui ai donné les clés ==> the direct object "les clés" appears after the auxiliary ==> no agreement

Je les lui ai données ==> the direct object "les", which replaces "les clés", appears before the auxiliary ==> feminine plural agreement

[copper mango]

hm, and if i say i gave them (feminine) thatll be je les ai données?

yea?

[worn frost]

If you don't specify to whom you gave them, yes.

[copper mango]

wdym?

[worn frost]

'Je les ai données' is just 'I gave them'.

[safe vector]

Yes, correct.
Je les ai données à ta mère.

The indirect object is irrelevant to the agreement, what matters is the placement of the direct object.

[worn frost]

Also often seen with 'que':

Les gâteaux que j'ai mangé__s__.

[copper mango]

ok that happens only in avoir-être tenses?

[copper mango]

passé composé, plus que parfait etc

[worn frost]

Les choses qu'il a dites.
Another example.

[safe vector]

Only in composed tenses (passé composé, plus-que-parfait, futur antérieur, etc) with Avoir as the auxiliary.

[copper mango]

ok ty

[safe vector]

The rule doesn't apply to verbs that use être as their auxiliary

[copper mango]

yeah i meant that