14 Lesson 5: Direct object pronouns
38. Object Pronouns / Los pronombres de complemento
| Direct object | (English object pronouns) | Indirect object |
| me te lo/la nos os los/las |
me you him, her, it, you (Ud. form) us you (plural) [in Spain] them, you (Uds. form) |
me te le nos os les |
| Direct objects: what? or whom? | Indirect objects: to/for whom? | ||
| I did…(what?) | I did my homework. I did it. Hice la tarea. La hice. |
I did (for whom?) | I did her homework for her. Le hice la tarea (a ella). |
| I saw…(whom?) | I saw the doctor. I saw him. Vi al doctor. Lo vi. |
I said (to whom?) | I told that to Juan. I told him. Le dije eso a Juan. Le dije. |
• Spanish places object pronouns immediately before a conjugated verb. The object pronoun eliminates the need for the personal a:
¿Conoces al abogado? Sí, lo conozco, pero no le debo nada. ¡No te creo!
• When these pronouns are the object of an infinitive or a gerund, they are joined to the end (written accents may be added according to the general rules explained in §3):
| Al verla, supe que la amaba. Escribiéndoles, te entenderán mejor. |
Upon seeing her, I realized I loved her. By writing to them, they’ll understand you better. |
• Thus, object pronouns may either precede the conjugated verb or be attached at the end of the infinitive or gerund (but they can never come in between):
| No me quieres creer. ~ No quieres creerme. Siguieron buscándolo ~ Lo siguieron buscando. Le voy a dar un regalo ~ Voy a darle un regalo. |
PRÁCTICA 38A. Sustituya los complementos directos por su pronombre correspondiente.
PRÁCTICA 38B. Sustituya los complementos indirectos por su pronombre correspondiente.
PRÁCTICA 38C. Escriba el orden alternativo para cada oración.
• When used together, indirect object pronouns precede direct object pronouns (the exact opposite of the usual English order):
| Nos los entregó a tiempo (los mensajes). Quiero mandártelo / Te lo quiero mandar (el mensaje). |
She delivered them to us on time. I want to send it to you. |
• When the first pronoun of the two would be le or les, it changes to se (sing. or plural):
Se lo quiero explicar antes de enseñárselo. I want to explain it to her before showing it to her.
• As there frequently is ambiguity with the third person, clarify with a ellas, a usted, etc.:
| Ella le escribe a él; yo le escribo a ella. No le quiero pedir un favor a usted. Se la mandé a él primero. |
She is writing to him; I am writing to her. I don’t want to ask you a favor. I sent it to him first. |
PRÁCTICA 38D. Sustituya todos los complementos posibles por sus pronombres correspondientes.
• Spanish prefers to use the indirect object pronouns even when the indirect object is mentioned:
| Le estoy escribiendo al jefe. ¿Por qué no le pides dinero a tu hija? |
I am writing to the boss. Why don’t you ask your daughter for money? |
Note the following verbs, which take certain prepositions in English, but not in Spanish (except for the personal awhen needed):
| mirar: look a