Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns.Spanish DOP and IOP.
What is a direct object pronoun in Spanish
A direct object pronoun replaces a noun that directly receives the action of the verb. It answers what? or whom? in relation to the verb.
The Spanish direct object pronouns are:
| Person or subject pronoun | Direct object pronoun |
|---|---|
| yo | me |
| tú | te |
| él, ella, usted | lo, la |
| nosotros, nosotras | nos |
| vosotros, vosotras | os |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | los, las |
For example, “the book” is the direct object in “I read the book.” In Spanish, it can be replaced by lo: Leo el libro. I read the book. Lo leo. I read it.
Examples:
- Juan lo lee. Juan reads it.
- María la come. María eats it.
- Nosotros las compramos. We buy them.
What is an indirect object pronoun in Spanish
An indirect object pronoun indicates to whom or for whom an action is performed. It can replace or accompany an indirect object and answers to whom? or for whom?
In “I give the book to María”, to María is the indirect object. In Spanish, the indirect object pronoun can replace or accompany that phrase: Le doy el libro a María. I give María the book. Le doy el libro. I give her the book.
The Spanish indirect object pronouns are:
| Meaning | Indirect object pronoun |
|---|---|
| to me | me |
| to you, informal singular | te |
| to him, to her, or to you, formal singular | le |
| to us | nos |
| to you all, informal | os |
| to them or to you all | les |
When a sentence has both an indirect and a direct object pronoun, the indirect object pronoun usually comes first: Ella me lo da. She gives it to me.
How to identify Spanish direct and indirect object pronouns
Use the following questions to identify the two kinds of object pronoun.
Direct object pronouns: Find the verb and ask what? or whom? The answer is the direct object.
- Juan ve el coche. Juan sees the car. Ask “What does Juan see?” Juan lo ve. Juan sees it.
- Ella llama a su amiga. She calls her friend. Ask “Whom does she call?” Ella la llama. She calls her.
Indirect object pronouns: Ask to whom? or for whom? the action is done. The answer is the indirect object.
- María escribe una carta a Juan. María writes a letter to Juan. Ask “To whom does María write a letter?” María le escribe una carta. María writes him a letter.
- Ellos dan un regalo a ella. They give her a gift. Ask “To whom do they give a gift?” Ellos le dan un regalo. They give her a gift.
Combined usage: When both types occur, the indirect object pronoun comes before the direct object pronoun.
- Yo doy el libro a ti. I give the book to you. Yo te lo doy. I give it to you.
- Ella envía las cartas a nosotros. She sends the letters to us. Ella nos las envía. She sends them to us.
- Identify the verb and ask what? or whom? to find the direct object.
- Ask to whom? or for whom? to find the indirect object.
- Replace each noun or noun phrase with the appropriate pronoun.
- If both pronouns occur, put the indirect object pronoun first. Remember: direct object pronouns are me, te, lo, la, nos, os, los, las; indirect object pronouns are me, te, le, nos, os, les.
How to position direct and indirect object pronouns
Object pronouns are placed differently depending on the verb form and sentence type. When both types occur, the indirect object pronoun comes before the direct object pronoun.
- Affirmative statements: Pronouns go immediately before the conjugated verb. Él me da el libro. He gives me the book.
- Negative statements: Pronouns go between no and the conjugated verb. Él no me lo da. He does not give it to me.
- Affirmative commands: Pronouns attach to the end of the command. Dámelo. Give it to me.
- Negative commands: Pronouns go before the verb, after no. No me lo des. Do not give it to me.
- Infinitives: Pronouns may attach to the infinitive or go before the conjugated verb. Voy a dártelo. I am going to give it to you. Te lo voy a dar. I am going to give it to you.
- Gerunds: Pronouns may attach to the gerund or go before the conjugated verb. Estoy dándotelo. I am giving it to you. Te lo estoy dando. I am giving it to you.
When le or les comes directly before lo, la, los, or las, it changes to se. This avoids the combination le lo or les la, for example: Se lo doy. I give it to him, her, or you.
List of Spanish direct and indirect object pronouns
When direct and indirect object pronouns appear together, the indirect object pronoun precedes the direct object pronoun. The pair goes before a conjugated verb or attaches to an infinitive, gerund, or affirmative command. When le or les comes before lo, la, los, or las, it changes to se.
The following table shows the possible combinations by person. The subject column identifies the person represented by the indirect object pronoun; the direct object may have any grammatical gender and number shown.
| Subject or person | Indirect object pronoun | Direct object pronoun | Combination |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | me | lo, la, los, las | me lo, me la, me los, me las |
| tú | te | lo, la, los, las | te lo, te la, te los, te las |
| él, ella, usted | le → se | lo, la, los, las | se lo, se la, se los, se las |
| nosotros, nosotras | nos | lo, la, los, las | nos lo, nos la, nos los, nos las |
| vosotros, vosotras | os | lo, la, los, las | os lo, os la, os los, os las |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | les → se | lo, la, los, las | se lo, se la, se los, se las |
Examples:
- Yo te lo doy. I give it to you.
- Ella se la envía. She sends it to him, her, or you.
- Nosotros os las prestamos. We lend them to you all.
