# FR: commander qqch à/pour qqn



## TaiChiChuan

Bonjour, tout le monde!
I have a question about indirect object pronouns. Some grammar books say that pour qn can be replaced by these pronouns, and use acheter as an example, I wonder whether this kind of replacement is mandatory as in the case à qn, or we can also use pour soi. 
Specifically, consider
Je te commanderai un manteau.
Je commandrai un manteau pour toi.
Which is (or more) correct?


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## MarcusK

With "pour" this kind of replacement is not mandatory. 
Je te commanderai un manteau
Je commanderai un manteau pour toi
are both equally correct.


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## TaiChiChuan

Merci beaucoup!


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## atcheque

Bonjour,

Il y a une petite nuance :
_Je commanderai un manteau pour toi = Je ferai la commande à ta place_.
Mais le manteau peut être un cadeau pour quelqu'un d'autre.


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## MarcusK

C'est effectivement une interprétation possible, mais "Je commanderai un manteau pour toi" peut aussi être synonyme de "Je te commanderai un manteau" et me semble même être le sens plus courant que "à ta place".


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## TaiChiChuan

The title of the thread has been changed into commander qqch à/pour qqn, which means we can say: Je commanderai un manteau à Paul? I feel that the meaning's changed when using preposition à instead of pour, which seems to be another question. I am not quite sure about it.


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## atcheque

It doesn't change anything:
_Je te commanderai un manteau = Je commanderai un manteau "à toi".
Je commanderai un manteau à Paul = Je lui commanderai un manteau.
_


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## MarcusK

"Je commanderai un manteau à Paul" a en effet un autre sens : dans ce cas c'est Paul qui vend le manteau.
"Je te commanderai un manteau" peut avoir 2 sens : "à toi" ou "pour toi".


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## TaiChiChuan

In collins, acheter qqch à qqn can mean both buy sth from sb and buy sth for sb, depending on the context, so here it's the same story?


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## Maître Capello

Yes exactly. See also FR: acheter qqch à/pour/de qqn.


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## TaiChiChuan

Your references are always of great help. Thanks a lot!


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## MarcusK

Note however that "commander" isn't quite the same as "acheter" in that respect.
They do work the same way if you use an indirect object pronoun.
But not if you use a noun: "J'achèterai un manteau à Paul" can mean both from or for Paul, whereas
"Je commanderai un manteau à Paul" can only mean from Paul.


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## atcheque

Je peux autant utiliser _Je commanderai un manteau à Paul_ pour dire _for Paul_, ou _from Paul_.


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## TaiChiChuan

I am then confused, though it's interesting to hear native speakers arguing about their mother tongue. Maybe language is to some degree personal, everyone has his own language, which may only differ in some minor aspects and to decide which is more correct depends on the principle of majority, and also the academics or related institutes... Thank you all for all your responses.


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