il lui

he ... to him/her

→ il
phrase Very common #1,253
he ... to him/her Not a fixed expression. il can mean he or impersonal it, and lui usually means to him/her or for him/her. With some verbs, English may translate lui simply as him/her, and in il lui faut it often corresponds to he/she needs.
FR: Il lui parle souvent.
EN: He talks to her often.

Il lui fit un gâteau.

He made her a cake.

Il lui est difficile de vivre de sa maigre retraite.

It’s difficult for him to live on his meager pension.

Il lui fallut l'après-midi entière pour effectuer ce travail.

It took him the entire afternoon to complete this work.

Il lui confectionna un gâteau rouge en forme de cœur.

He made her a red heart-shaped cake.

Il lui ressemble.

He looks like him.

Alors il lui a acheté un cadeau : ce chaton.

So he bought her a gift: this kitten.

Il lui demanda de sortir avec lui.

He asked her out.

Il lui suffit de se faire belle et de se comporter convenablement.

All she has to do is make herself beautiful and behave appropriately.

— Picnic (1955)

Tu sais ce qu'il lui aurait fait, n'est-ce pas?

You know what he would have done to him, don’t you?

— Assurance sur la mort (1944)

Il lui a tiré les cheveux.

He pulled her hair.

Il lui a acheté un chien.

He bought her a dog.

Il lui était très difficile de réprimer ses émotions.

It was very difficult for him to suppress his emotions.

Il lui apporte des cookies.

He brings her cookies.

— Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Il lui a envoyé une demande pour devenir amis.

He sent her a friend request.

Il lui est très attaché.

He is very attached to her.

Il lui caressa les cheveux.

He stroked her hair.

Il lui ressemble beaucoup.

He looks a lot like him.

— A Taxi Driver (2017)

Il lui conseilla de ne pas partir.

He advised her not to leave.

Il lui a ouvert son cœur.

He opened his heart to her.

Il lui a crié de faire attention.

He shouted at her to be careful.

Hier soir, il lui a dit qu'il refusait de mourir de faim.

Last night, he told her that he refused to starve to death.

— Le Cercle des neiges (2023)

Il lui serait difficile de revenir s'il pleuvait.

It would be difficult for him/her to come back if it rained.

— Les Enfants du temps (2019)

Il lui faut payer pour le livre.

He has to pay for the book.

Il lui a tiré dans la tête.

He shot him in the head.

— Roma (2018)

Il lui a acheté des chocolats.

He bought her some chocolates.

Il lui écrit une merveilleuse lettre d'amour.

He writes her a wonderful love letter.

Il lui acheta un chien.

He bought her a dog.

Il lui laissa un mot.

He left her a note.

Il lui est impossible de récupérer sa mémoire.

It is impossible for him to regain his memory.

— Black (2005)

Il lui aurait fait faire n'importe quoi.

He could have made her do anything.

— Psychose (1960)

Il lui a fait un nouveau manteau.

He made him a new coat.

Il lui parle toujours à voix basse.

He always speaks to her in a low voice.

Il lui faudrait nous tuer tous pour trouver la paix.

He would have to kill us all to find peace.

— Princesse Mononoké (1997)

Il lui conseilla d'écouter son médecin.

He advised her to listen to her doctor.

Il lui a montré son tatouage.

He showed her his tattoo.

Les gens comme vous, il lui faut une bonne raison de ne pas les tuer.

People like you, he needs a good reason not to kill them.

— Bullet Train (2022)

Il lui a coupé l'oreille en deux.

He cut her ear in two.

Il lui reste peu de temps.

He has little time left.

— Thirst, ceci est mon sang (2009)

Il lui dit qu'il l'aime, et il écrit ça sur le dos d'une pute.

He tells her he loves her, and he writes it on the back of a whore.

— La Vie d'Adèle - Chapitres 1 et 2 (2013)

Il lui téléphone chaque soir.

He calls her every evening.

Il lui en faut peu pour être ivre.

It doesn't take much for him/her to get drunk.

— Les Nuits de Cabiria (1957)

Il lui a volé un baiser.

He stole a kiss from her.

Il lui a apporté un cadeau.

He brought her a gift.

Il lui fit un massage des pieds.

He gave her a foot massage.

Il lui est désormais interdit de sortir de cette pièce.

He is now forbidden from leaving this room.

— Ne Zha (2019)

On m'a dit qu'il lui manquait une dent quand on l'a trouvé.

I was told that he was missing a tooth when they found him.

— La Femme de ménage (2025)

Il lui montra comment faire différents nœuds.

He showed her how to tie different knots.

Il lui fallut partager une chambre avec sa sœur.

He had to share a room with his sister.

Il lui confectionna un gâteau.

He made her a cake.

Il lui restait presque une heure!

He still had almost an hour left!

— Funny Games (1997)

Il lui demanda si elle le connaissait.

He asked her if she knew him.

Il lui suffit de signer.

All he/she has to do is sign.

— La vie est belle (1997)

Il lui faut trouver du travail.

He needs to find work.

Combien de temps il lui reste?

How much time does he have left?

— मुन्ना भाई एम बी बी एस (2003)

Il lui a dit qu'elle avait raison.

He told her she was right.

Il lui faut être lavée.

It needs to be washed.

Il lui est difficile de résoudre le problème.

It is difficult for him to solve the problem.

Il lui arrivait d'assumer les deux personnalités.

He sometimes assumed both personalities.

— Psychose (1960)

Il lui a chanté une chanson.

He sang her a song.

Dans son dernier souffle, il lui a dit qu'il avait été adopté.

With his dying breath, he told him that he had been adopted.

Il lui fait confiance.

He trusts her.

Il lui chanta toutes les chansons.

He sang all the songs to her.

Qu'il aille voir un psychiatre, il lui donnera du Tavor ou du Prozac.

He should go see a psychiatrist; they'll give him Tavor or Prozac.

— La grande bellezza (2013)

Il lui ressemble tellement.

He looks so much like him.

— La Vie d'Adèle - Chapitres 1 et 2 (2013)

Il lui conseilla de se montrer ponctuelle.

He advised her to be punctual.

Il lui a crié dessus.

He shouted at her.

Il lui sourit avec un regard complice.

He smiled at her with a knowing look.

Il lui a tiré dans le genou.

He shot him in the knee.

Il lui a acheté un cadeau.

He bought her a gift.

Il lui était difficile de cacher la fierté qu'il avait de son succès.

It was difficult for him to hide how proud he was of his success.

Il lui achète des cadeaux.

He buys her gifts.

Il lui a brisé la nuque!

He broke his neck!

— Même la pluie (2011)

Il lui manquait beaucoup.

She missed him a lot.

Il lui est inhabituel de se mettre en colère.

It is unusual for him to get angry.

Il lui recommanda de ne pas emprunter de l'argent à ses amis.

He advised her not to borrow money from her friends.

Il lui conseilla d'être ponctuelle.

He advised her to be punctual.

Il lui a offert une poupée.

He gave her a doll.

Il lui a coupé la tête.

He cut off his head.

— Caché (2005)

Il lui reste un mois à vivre, au mieux.

He has a month to live, at best.

Il lui faut nettoyer sa chambre.

He needs to clean his room.

Il lui dit que c'est son phare!

He tells her that it’s his lighthouse!

— Astérix & Obélix : Mission Cléopâtre (2002)

Il lui vint à l'esprit de commencer tout de suite.

It occurred to him to start right away.

Tom ne sait pas combien de temps il lui faudra pour faire ça.

Tom doesn't know how long it will take him to do that.

Il lui envoya une lettre pour lui faire savoir l'heure de son arrivée.

He sent her a letter to let her know what time he would arrive.

Ensuite, il lui sembla sortir d'un profond sommeil.

Then it seemed to him that he was emerging from a deep sleep.

— Psychose (1960)

Il lui a appris l'alphabet.

He taught him the alphabet.

Il lui fournit de la morphine pour profiter d'elle.

He gives her morphine so he can take advantage of her.

— Le Conformiste (1971)

Il lui est impossible de faire ça en une journée.

It is impossible for him to do this in one day.

Il lui a fait un gâteau.

He made her a cake.

Il lui offrait des cadeaux coûteux à longueur d'année.

He gave her expensive gifts all year round.

— Rebecca (1940)

Il lui fallut partager une chambre avec son frère.

He had to share a room with his brother.

Il lui conseilla d'aller voir la police.

He advised him to go to the police.

Il lui reste combien de temps?

How much time does he have left?

Il lui tendit un bouquet de fleurs.

He handed her a bouquet of flowers.

Il lui a tourné la tête.

He turned her head.

— Quand passent les cigognes (1957)

Il lui a dit qu'elle perdait son temps.

He told her she was wasting her time.

Il lui a amené un cadeau.

He brought her a gift.

Quand il lui parle, elle l'écoute en regardant par terre.

When he talks to her, she listens to him while looking at the ground.

— Manon des sources (1986)

Il lui est difficile de vivre de sa maigre pension.

It is difficult for him to live on his meager pension.

Il lui arrivait de partir à vélo plusieurs jours.

He would sometimes set off on his bike for several days.

— Rang de Basanti (2006)

Il lui a fait de la peine et puis il lui a donné un peu de pain.

He made him feel sorry for him and then he gave him some bread.

Il lui fallut beaucoup de temps pour comprendre ce qu'elle disait.

It took him a long time to understand what she was saying.

Il lui chuchota quelque chose à l'oreille.

He whispered something in her ear.

Il lui ressemble, mais ce n'est pas lui.

He looks like him, but he's not him.

Il lui conseilla de se rendre à l'étranger tant qu'elle était encore jeune.

He advised her to travel abroad while she was still young.

Il a dit que s'il connaissait son adresse, il lui écrirait.

He said that if he knew her address, he would write to her.

Il lui suffisait de dire le nom de mon père.

All he had to do was say my father’s name.

— Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Il lui a acheté un chandail.

He bought her a sweater.

Il lui était interdit de parler.

He was forbidden to speak.

Mais il lui fallait des preuves.

But he needed proof.

— Guerre et Paix (1968)

Il lui adressa des fleurs.

He sent her flowers.

Il lui est peut-être arrivé quelque chose.

Maybe something happened to him.

S'il est l'élu, il lui reste un long chemin à parcourir.

If he is the chosen one, he still has a long way to go.

— Dune : Première partie (2021)

Il lui rendait visite tous les deux jours à l'hôpital.

He visited him at the hospital every other day.

Il lui conseilla de faire davantage d'exercice.

He advised him to exercise more.

Il lui a ordonné de sortir.

He ordered him to get out.

Il lui a coupé le bras.

He cut off his arm.

— Bullet Train (2022)

Il lui serait arrivé quoi d'autre?

What else could have happened to him?

— Léviathan (2014)

Il lui faut parler anglais.

He needs to speak English.

Il lui écrit une lettre.

He writes her a letter.

Il lui est aisé de se faire des amis.

It is easy for him to make friends.

Il lui a arraché son téléphone des mains.

He snatched her phone out of her hands.

Il lui jeta un coup d'œil sans montrer de signe de reconnaissance.

He glanced at him without showing any sign of recognition.

Il lui est impossible de le faire.

It is impossible for him to do so.

Il lui a fait un massage des pieds.

He gave her a foot massage.

Il lui offrit une poupée.

He gave her a doll.

Il lui faudra plus de six semaines.

It will take him more than six weeks.

Il lui conseilla d'arrêter de boire.

He advised him to stop drinking.

Il lui reste encore tant d’années à vivre!

He still has so many years left to live!

— La strada (1954)

Il lui faut l'aider.

He has to help him.

Il lui toucha les cheveux.

He touched her hair.

Il lui en faut combien?

How many does he need?

— Funny Games (1997)

Il lui a dit qu'il devrait faire ça lui-même.

He told him that he should do it himself.

Il lui a apporté quelque chose.

He brought her something.