French Phrase
Propose‑lui ton aide.
Meaning
Literally, ‘Offer him/her your help.’ The sentence is a friendly, direct way to suggest that the listener should give assistance to a third person.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to encourage someone to step in and help another person—whether it’s a colleague struggling with a task, a friend dealing with a problem, or a stranger who could use a hand.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Propose-luitonaide
Imperative Mood
‘Propose’ is the second‑person singular imperative of the verb proposer, used to give a direct command or suggestion.
Indirect Object Pronoun
‘lui’ replaces the indirect object (to him / to her). In the imperative it follows the verb and is attached with a hyphen.
Possessive Adjective
‘ton’ agrees with the masculine singular noun ‘aide’ and means ‘your’.
Hyphenation Rule
When a pronoun follows an imperative, a hyphen is required and the pronoun is placed after the verb (e.g., ‘Donne‑moi’, ‘Propose‑lui’).
🗨In Conversation
Tu as vu que Paul a du mal avec son nouveau logiciel ?
Did you see that Paul is having trouble with his new software?
Oui, propose‑lui ton aide.
Yes, offer him your help.
✕Common Mistakes
Propose‑le ton aide.
‘le’ is a direct object pronoun; the verb ‘proposer’ takes an indirect object, so you must use ‘lui’.
Propose lui ton aide.
Never write ‘ton aide’ without the hyphen after the verb; the hyphen is mandatory in the imperative construction.
Propose‑lui tes aides.
‘aide’ is singular; adding an ‘s’ makes it plural and changes the meaning.
↔Alternatives
Offre‑lui ton aide.
Offer him/her your help.
Donne‑lui un coup de main.
Give him/her a hand.
Mets‑toi à son service.
Put yourself at his/her service.
Cultural Tip
In French, the imperative with a pronoun is always hyphenated and the pronoun follows the verb. The tone can be informal; for a more polite request you could say ‘Pourriez‑vous lui proposer votre aide ?’ or use the conditional ‘Vous pourriez lui proposer votre aide.’ Also, ‘aide’ is a feminine noun, but the possessive adjective stays masculine (ton) because it agrees with the noun’s gender, not the person you’re speaking to.