What’s COD in French grammar ?

What's COD in French Grammar ?

COD in French grammar or French Direct Object Complement

• Direct Object in French is a word or group of words that receives the action of the verb directly.
• It never starts with a preposition (like to, of, with, etc.).

Example:
Je mange une pomme. (I eat an apple.)

• Je / I = subject
• mange / eat = verb
• une pomme / an apple = COD → It’s what I eat.

The verb acts directly on the COD.
Here, the verb mange acts on une pomme.
So, une pomme is the Direct Object (COD).

Great job!

Now you know what the COD is, but...

How to find the COD in French?

A short video to understand everything (super easily!)

COD or COI? What’s the difference?

This is a big confusion for many learners:

COD vs COI

The COD (Direct Object Complement):

• Never starts with a preposition.
• To find it: ask WHAT (quoi) or WHOM (qui) after the verb.

The COI (Indirect Object Complement):

• Always starts with a preposition (to, from...).
• To find it: ask TO WHOM, TO WHAT, FROM WHOM, or FROM WHAT (à quoi, à qui, de quoi ou de qui) after the verb.

Examples:

Je cherche Marie.
→ No preposition
→ I’m looking for whom? → Marie
→ Marie = COD

Je parle à Marie.
→ There is a preposition: à (to)
→ I’m talking to whom? → à Marie
→ à Marie = COI

Tip:
If you hear or see a group of words starting with à, de, avec, sur (to, from, with, on), it’s not a COD.

Another course for you : What's the COI in French ?

The French COD can be a noun, a pronoun, or a clause

The COD in French grammar can have several forms:

a) A noun or noun phrase:

- J'aime le chocolat.

  I like chocolate.

- Tu lis un bon livre.
  You read a good book.

→ le chocolat and un bon livre are French direct object.

b) A pronoun:

- Je le vois (le = le film, par exemple)

  I see it. (it = the movie, for example)

- Elle la mange. (la = la pomme)

   She eats it. (it = the apple)
→ Here, le and la (it) replaces le film and la pomme as French direct object pronouns.

c) A clause:

- Je sais qu’il vient.

   I know that he is coming.
→ “qu'il vient” is the COD of the verb venir.

How to use COD with passé composé?

In French, the past participle does not always agree the same way.

It depends on whether you use ÊTRE or AVOIR, and whether there is a COD or not.

But what is the past participle? 

In compound tenses (like the passé composé), the past participle (participe passé) is the verb form that comes just after the auxiliary ÊTRE or AVOIR.

Examples:
- J'ai fini

  I have finished.

→ fini (finished) = past participle

- Il est né

   He was born.

→ né (born) = past participle

Agreement of the past participle with ÊTRE:

RULE: The past participle used with ÊTRE always agrees with the subject of the sentence.

- Elle est partie.

   She left.

Elle = subject
est = auxiliary ÊTRE
partie = past participle of the verb partir

→ “partie” agrees with the subject elle (feminine/singular)

Agreement of the past participle with AVOIR:

RULE : The past participle used with avoir agrees in gender and number with the COD if it comes before the verb.

When the past participle is used with AVOIR, it’s different.

You don’t look at the subject.

You check if there is a COD and if it comes before or after the verb.

Examples:

1. Elle a lu.

   She read.
a = auxiliary AVOIR
lu = past participle of lire
→ No COD → no agreement

2. Elle a lu les lettres.

    She read the letters.
a = auxiliary AVOIR
lu = past participle of lire
les lettres = COD
→ COD is after the verb → no agreement

3. Voici les lettres qu'elle a lues.

    Here are the letters that she read.
a = auxiliary AVOIR
lu= past participle of lire
les lettres = COD
→ COD is before the verb → agreement!

The past participle (read) agrees with the COD (the letters: feminine/plural)

Do all verbs have a direct object in French?

No!

Some verbs can take a COD

• Manger (to eat) →Je mange une pomme.
• Regarder (to watch) →Il regarde la télévision.
• Entendre (to hear) →Tu entends un bruit.

Like many other verbs: Lire (to read), écrire (to write), connaître (to know), aimer (to love), détester (to hate), prendre (to take)...

BUT...

Some verbs cannot take a COD — it’s impossible for them.

Examples:
naître (to be born), mourir (to die), venir (to come), arriver (to arrive), partir (to leave), tomber (to fall), entrer (to enter), sortir (to go out), monter (to go up), descendre (to go down), douter (to doubt), penser (to think), aller (to go), pleuvoir (to rain)...

• Il doute de lui-même. → no COD, de lui-même is an indirect object (COI)
• Il pense à son avenir. → no COD, à son avenir is an indirect object (COI)
• Je vais à la mer. → no COD, à la mer is a place complement
• Il a plu ce matin. → no COD, ce matin is a time complement

With state verbs

like: être (to be), sembler (to seem), devenir (to become), avoir l’air (to look/seem), paraître (to appear), rester (to remain)...

the group of words that follows is always called the subject complement (not COD).

Examples:

• Tu es petite. → no COD, petite is a subject complement
• Il semble fatigué. → no COD, fatigué is a subject complement
• Ils ont l’air malades. → no COD, malades is a subject complement

List of verbs that take a direct object (COD)

aimer – to love
connaître – to know
écouter – to listen to
faire – to do / to make
lire – to read
manger – to eat
mettre – to put
oublier – to forget
ouvrir – to open
porter – to wear / to carry
prendre – to take
regarder – to watch / to look at
savoir – to know (a fact, how to)
voir – to see
vouloir – to want

And many more...

French direct object pronouns

To avoid repeating the COD, you can replace it with a pronoun.
Yes, in French, we don’t like repeating the same word over and over in a sentence!

This direct object pronoun is placed before the verb (or before the auxiliary verb).

Here are the most common COD pronouns:

Examples :

Tu lisais le livre.
  You were reading the book.
Tu le lisais.
  You were reading it.

Elle mange la pomme.
She is eating the apple.
Elle la mange.
She is eating it.

Nous regarderons les enfants.
We will watch the children.
 Nous les regarderons.
We will watch them.

Je vois Julie.
I see Julie.
Je la vois.
I see her.

Il a entendu Paul et moi.
He heard Paul and me.
Il nous a entendus.
He heard us.

Careful!
The COD pronoun always comes before the conjugated verb, except in the affirmative imperative:

Je le mange.
I’m eating it.

Mange-le ! (imperative)
Eat it!

COD Exercises: Find the French direct object (or say if there isn’t one)

Je regarde un film.
I watch a movie.

Tu parles à ton frère.
You talk to your brother.

Elle mange une pizza.
She eats a pizza.

Nous aimons le chocolat.
We love chocolate.

Ils téléphonent à leurs amis.
They call their friends.

J’écris une lettre.
I write a letter.

Vous attendez le bus ?
Are you waiting for the bus?

Il lit un journal.
He reads a newspaper.

Elles pensent à leurs vacances.
They think about their holidays.

J’achète un cadeau.
I buy a gift.

Tu vois le chien ?
Do you see the dog?

Nous écoutons la radio.
We listen to the radio.

Elle aide sa sœur.
She helps her sister.

Je rêve de mon futur.
I dream about my future.

Il prend son sac.
He takes his bag.

Correction of the exercises on the French COD

• Un film (COD)
• Pas de COD (COI : à ton frère)
• une pizza (COD)
• le chocolat (COD)
• Pas de COD (COI : à leurs amis)
• une lettre (COD)
• le bus (COD)
• un journal (COD)
• Pas de COD (COI : à leurs vacances)
• un cadeau (COD)
• le chien (COD)
• la radio (COD)
• sa sœur (COD)
• Pas de COD (COI : de mon futur)
• son sac (COD)

Printable PDF exercises on the COd in French

Click here to download your printable exercices on the French COD