diff --git a/nac3core/src/codegen/expr.rs b/nac3core/src/codegen/expr.rs
index ac37dcdd..6f03f0d2 100644
--- a/nac3core/src/codegen/expr.rs
+++ b/nac3core/src/codegen/expr.rs
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ impl<'ctx> CodeGenContext<'ctx> {
             .join(", ")
     }
 
-    fn get_attr_index(&mut self, ty: Type, attr: &str) -> usize {
+    pub fn get_attr_index(&mut self, ty: Type, attr: &str) -> usize {
         let obj_id = match &*self.unifier.get_ty(ty) {
             TypeEnum::TObj { obj_id, .. } => *obj_id,
             // we cannot have other types, virtual type should be handled by function calls
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ impl<'ctx> CodeGenContext<'ctx> {
         index
     }
 
-    fn get_llvm_type(&mut self, ty: Type) -> BasicTypeEnum<'ctx> {
+    pub fn get_llvm_type(&mut self, ty: Type) -> BasicTypeEnum<'ctx> {
         use TypeEnum::*;
         // we assume the type cache should already contain primitive types,
         // and they should be passed by value instead of passing as pointer.
@@ -275,7 +275,15 @@ impl<'ctx> CodeGenContext<'ctx> {
             }
             ExprKind::Name { id, .. } => {
                 let ptr = self.var_assignment.get(id).unwrap();
-                self.builder.build_load(*ptr, "load")
+                let primitives = &self.primitives;
+                // we should only dereference primitive types
+                if [primitives.int32, primitives.int64, primitives.float, primitives.bool]
+                    .contains(&self.unifier.get_representative(expr.custom.unwrap()))
+                {
+                    self.builder.build_load(*ptr, "load")
+                } else {
+                    (*ptr).into()
+                }
             }
             ExprKind::List { elts, .. } => {
                 // this shall be optimized later for constant primitive lists...
@@ -472,7 +480,7 @@ impl<'ctx> CodeGenContext<'ctx> {
                     ops.iter(),
                 )
                 .fold(None, |prev, (lhs, rhs, op)| {
-                    let ty = lhs.custom.unwrap();
+                    let ty = self.unifier.get_representative(lhs.custom.unwrap());
                     let current =
                         if [self.primitives.int32, self.primitives.int64, self.primitives.bool]
                             .contains(&ty)
diff --git a/nac3core/src/codegen/helper.rs b/nac3core/src/codegen/helper.rs
deleted file mode 100644
index 8b137891..00000000
--- a/nac3core/src/codegen/helper.rs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-
diff --git a/nac3core/src/codegen/mod.rs b/nac3core/src/codegen/mod.rs
index 89a10d8c..95ee4bbf 100644
--- a/nac3core/src/codegen/mod.rs
+++ b/nac3core/src/codegen/mod.rs
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
 mod expr;
-mod helper;
+mod stmt;
diff --git a/nac3core/src/codegen/stmt.rs b/nac3core/src/codegen/stmt.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1fa65060
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nac3core/src/codegen/stmt.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+use std::convert::TryInto;
+
+use crate::{top_level::CodeGenContext, typecheck::typedef::Type};
+use inkwell::{
+    types::BasicTypeEnum,
+    values::{BasicValueEnum, PointerValue},
+};
+use rustpython_parser::ast::{Expr, ExprKind, Stmt, StmtKind};
+
+impl<'ctx> CodeGenContext<'ctx> {
+    fn gen_var(&mut self, ty: Type) -> PointerValue<'ctx> {
+        let ty = self.get_llvm_type(ty);
+        let ty = if let BasicTypeEnum::PointerType(ty) = ty {
+            ty.get_element_type().try_into().unwrap()
+        } else {
+            ty
+        };
+        self.builder.build_alloca(ty, "tmp")
+    }
+
+    fn parse_pattern(&mut self, pattern: &Expr<Option<Type>>) -> PointerValue<'ctx> {
+        // very similar to gen_expr, but we don't do an extra load at the end
+        // and we flatten nested tuples
+        match &pattern.node {
+            ExprKind::Name { id, .. } => {
+                self.var_assignment.get(id).cloned().unwrap_or_else(|| {
+                    let ptr = self.gen_var(pattern.custom.unwrap());
+                    self.var_assignment.insert(id.clone(), ptr);
+                    ptr
+                })
+            }
+            ExprKind::Attribute { value, attr, .. } => {
+                let index = self.get_attr_index(value.custom.unwrap(), attr);
+                let val = self.gen_expr(value);
+                let ptr = if let BasicValueEnum::PointerValue(v) = val {
+                    v
+                } else {
+                    unreachable!();
+                };
+                unsafe {
+                    ptr.const_in_bounds_gep(&[
+                        self.ctx.i32_type().const_zero(),
+                        self.ctx.i32_type().const_int(index as u64, false),
+                    ])
+                }
+            }
+            ExprKind::Subscript { .. } => unimplemented!(),
+            _ => unreachable!(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn gen_assignment(&mut self, target: &Expr<Option<Type>>, value: BasicValueEnum<'ctx>) {
+        if let ExprKind::Tuple { elts, .. } = &target.node {
+            if let BasicValueEnum::PointerValue(ptr) = value {
+                for (i, elt) in elts.iter().enumerate() {
+                    unsafe {
+                        let t = ptr.const_in_bounds_gep(&[
+                            self.ctx.i32_type().const_zero(),
+                            self.ctx.i32_type().const_int(i as u64, false),
+                        ]);
+                        let v = self.builder.build_load(t, "tmpload");
+                        self.gen_assignment(elt, v);
+                    }
+                }
+            } else {
+                unreachable!()
+            }
+        } else {
+            let ptr = self.parse_pattern(target);
+            self.builder.build_store(ptr, value);
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn gen_stmt(&mut self, stmt: &Stmt<Option<Type>>) {
+        match &stmt.node {
+            StmtKind::Expr { value } => {
+                self.gen_expr(&value);
+            }
+            StmtKind::Assign { targets, value, .. } => {
+                let value = self.gen_expr(&value);
+                for target in targets.iter() {
+                    self.gen_assignment(target, value);
+                }
+            }
+            _ => unimplemented!(),
+        }
+    }
+}