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Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns in Spanish

Learn how Spanish direct and indirect object pronouns replace people and things in a sentence. This guide explains me, te, lo, la, le, nos, os, los, las and les, plus combinations such as me lo, te la and se los.

Open pronoun table Practice examples
Core distinction: the direct object answers what? or whom?. The indirect object answers to whom? or for whom?.
Direct and indirect object pronouns in Spanish with me, te, lo, la, le, nos, os, los, las, les and se lo
Direct objects receive the action. Indirect objects identify the recipient or beneficiary.

Core difference

Direct vs indirect object pronouns in Spanish

The difference depends on the function of the object. A direct object receives the action directly. An indirect object identifies the recipient, beneficiary or person affected.

Direct object

Veo el libro → Lo veo.
What do I see? The book.

Indirect object

Escribo a Ana → Le escribo.
To whom do I write? To Ana.

Both objects

Doy el libro a Ana → Se lo doy.
I give it to her.

Step 1

Find the verb

Start with the action before identifying the objects.

Doy el libro a Ana.

Step 2

Ask what or whom

The answer is normally the direct object.

What do I give? El libro.

Step 3

Ask to whom or for whom

The answer is normally the indirect object.

To whom do I give it? A Ana.

Object-pronoun table

Direct and indirect object pronouns at a glance

The first- and second-person forms overlap in both systems. The clearest difference appears in the third person: direct lo, la, los, las versus indirect le, les.

Person Direct object Indirect object Direct example Indirect example
First person singular me me Me ve. Me escribe.
Second person singular te te Te veo. Te compro un café.
Third person singular lo / la le Lo veo. La conozco. Le escribo.
First person plural nos nos Nos llama. Nos explica la regla.
Second person plural in Spain os os Os veo. Os mando un mensaje.
Third person plural los / las les Los veo. Las conozco. Les escribo.
Memory line: direct object = what or whom? · indirect object = to whom or for whom?

Direct object

Direct object pronouns: me, te, lo, la, nos, os, los and las

Direct object pronouns replace the person or thing directly affected by the verb. Third-person forms agree with the replaced noun in gender and number.

Replaced object Pronoun Sentence with noun Sentence with pronoun
Me me Ana ve a Juan y a mí. Ana me ve.
You, informal te Veo a ti. Te veo.
Masculine singular lo Veo el libro. Lo veo.
Feminine singular la Conozco a Ana. La conozco.
Us nos El profesor ve a nosotros. El profesor nos ve.
You all in Spain os Veo a vosotros. Os veo.
Masculine or mixed plural los Compro los libros. Los compro.
Feminine plural las Leo las cartas. Las leo.

Continue with the detailed lesson: Spanish Direct Object Pronouns .

Indirect object

Indirect object pronouns: me, te, le, nos, os and les

Indirect object pronouns identify the recipient, beneficiary or person affected by an action. The forms le and les do not show gender.

Meaning Pronoun Spanish example English meaning
To or for me me Me escribe. He or she writes to me.
To or for you te Te compro un café. I buy you a coffee.
To or for him, her or usted le Le doy el libro. I give him, her or you the book.
To or for us nos Nos explica la regla. He or she explains the rule to us.
To or for you all in Spain os Os mando un mensaje. I send you all a message.
To or for them or ustedes les Les escribo. I write to them or to you all.

Continue with the detailed lesson: Spanish Indirect Object Pronouns .

Two object pronouns

Using direct and indirect object pronouns together

When both pronouns appear in one sentence, the indirect object pronoun comes first. The direct object pronoun comes second.

Order

Indirect before direct

Use combinations such as me lo, te la and nos los.

Te lo explico.

Third person

Le and les become se

Use se before lo, la, los and las.

Le doy el libro → Se lo doy.

Meaning

Context identifies se

The full person can be added for clarity: Se lo doy a Ana.

Se las mando a ellos.

Full sentence Indirect pronoun Two pronouns English meaning
Doy el libro a Ana. Le doy el libro. Se lo doy. I give it to her.
Compro las flores para ti. Te compro las flores. Te las compro. I buy them for you.
Mandamos los documentos a Luis. Le mandamos los documentos. Se los mandamos. We send them to him.
Explico la regla a mis alumnos. Les explico la regla. Se la explico. I explain it to them.
Never use: le lo, le la, les los or les las.
Use se lo, se la, se los and se las.

Word position

Where do direct and indirect object pronouns go?

Object-pronoun position depends mainly on the verb form. Pronouns go before a normal conjugated verb but attach to infinitives, gerunds and affirmative commands.

Verb form Pronoun position Spanish example English meaning
Conjugated verb Before the verb Se lo doy. I give it to him, her or them.
Compound tense Before the auxiliary Se lo he dado. I have given it to him, her or them.
Infinitive Before the conjugated verb or attached Se lo voy a dar. / Voy a dárselo. I am going to give it.
Gerund Before the conjugated verb or attached Se lo estoy dando. / Estoy dándoselo. I am giving it.
Affirmative command Attached to the command Dáselo. Give it to him, her or them.
Negative command Before the verb No se lo des. Do not give it to him, her or them.

Continue with the full placement guide: Spanish Pronoun Position .

Pronoun doubling

Why Spanish sometimes repeats the object

Spanish can use an object pronoun together with the full object phrase. This is especially common with indirect objects, fronted objects and verbs such as gustar.

Structure Spanish example Doubled elements English meaning
Indirect object doubling Le escribí a Ana. le + a Ana I wrote to Ana.
Plural indirect object Les mandé un mensaje a mis padres. les + a mis padres I sent my parents a message.
Fronted direct object A Juan lo vi ayer. a Juan + lo I saw Juan yesterday.
Gustar-type structure A mí me gusta. a mí + me I like it.

Continue with: Object Pronoun Doubling in Spanish .

Mini practice

Practice direct and indirect object pronouns

Answer each exercise before opening the solution.

Exercise 1: direct or indirect?

  1. Veo la película.
  2. Escribo a mi hermano.
  3. Compro el pan.
  4. Explico la regla a los estudiantes.
Show answers

1. Direct: la película → la
2. Indirect: a mi hermano → le
3. Direct: el pan → lo
4. Direct: la regla → la; indirect: a los estudiantes → les

Exercise 2: replace the object

  1. Veo el coche.
  2. Leo las cartas.
  3. Escribo a Ana.
  4. Compro flores para mis padres.
Show answers

1. Lo veo.
2. Las leo.
3. Le escribo.
4. Les compro flores.

Exercise 3: use two pronouns

  1. Doy el libro a Ana.
  2. Mando las fotos a Luis.
  3. Compro los billetes para ti.
  4. Explicamos la regla a ellos.
Show answers

1. Se lo doy.
2. Se las mando.
3. Te los compro.
4. Se la explicamos.

Common errors

Common mistakes with Spanish object pronouns

  • Using le for every person: direct objects normally require lo, la, los or las.
  • Forgetting gender and number: el libro becomes lo, while las cartas becomes las.
  • Confusing the questions: direct objects answer “what?” or “whom?”; indirect objects answer “to whom?” or “for whom?”.
  • Using le lo or les la: use se lo, se la, se los or se las.
  • Putting pronouns after a conjugated verb: say Lo veo, not Veo lo.
  • Dropping the pronoun with gustar: say A mí me gusta, not A mí gusta.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about direct and indirect object pronouns

What are direct object pronouns in Spanish?

Direct object pronouns replace the person or thing directly affected by the verb. The forms are me, te, lo, la, nos, os, los and las.

What are indirect object pronouns in Spanish?

Indirect object pronouns identify the recipient, beneficiary or person affected. The forms are me, te, le, nos, os and les.

How do I identify a direct or indirect object?

Ask “what?” or “whom?” to find the direct object. Ask “to whom?” or “for whom?” to find the indirect object.

What is the order of two object pronouns?

The indirect object pronoun comes first and the direct object pronoun comes second: me lo, te la, nos los, se las.

Why does le lo become se lo?

Spanish changes le and les to se before lo, la, los and las.

Where do Spanish object pronouns go?

They normally go before a conjugated verb. They attach to infinitives, gerunds and affirmative commands and appear before negative commands.

Practice and support

Practise object pronouns in complete sentences

Direct and indirect object pronouns become easier when you practise object type, pronoun choice, word order and double-pronoun combinations in real sentences.

Grammar support

Spanish Tutoring

Work on object pronouns, homework, sentence correction and individual grammar problems.

Grammar overview

Spanish Grammar

Continue with verbs, tenses, pronouns, prepositions and sentence structures.

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