Spanish grammar · Elementary (A2)
Object pronouns: lo, la, le, les
How to say “it”, “them”, “to him” and “to her” in Spanish with lo, la, los, las, le and les, and where the pronouns go.
Direct object pronouns: it, them
The “direct object” is the person or thing that receives the action: “I buy the shirt”. To replace it, use (masculine), (feminine), or (plural). , , and work the same way for people.
and also mean “you” when you speak to someone as : (Can I help you, madam?).
| Person | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| me | (Can you see me?) | |
| you () | (I'll see you tomorrow.) | |
| him, it (m), you () | (The receipt? I've got it here.) | |
| her, it (f), you () | (The shirt? I'll take it.) | |
| us | (They're inviting us to dinner.) | |
| you () | (We'll wait for you.) | |
| them | / | (The trousers? I'll change them.) |
The personal a: ayudo a los clientes
When the direct object is a specific person, Spanish puts before it. This “personal ” isn't translated: (I see Marta), (I helped the guests). With things there's no : (I see the house).
+ becomes : (I know the manager). doesn't take the personal : . The pronouns , , and replace the whole phrase:
- Ayudo a mi madre en casa.I help my mother at home.
- ¿Conoces a Pablo?Do you know Pablo?
- Busco las llaves.I'm looking for the keys.
Indirect object pronouns: to me, to him
The “indirect object” is the person who receives something or is told something: “Send me a message”, “Tell her”. The pronouns are , , , , , . You already use them with : .
When the person is also named, Spanish usually keeps or too: (I gave the book to Pablo).
- ¿Me puede enviar un mensaje?Could you send me a message?
- Dígale que necesito una cita.Tell her I need an appointment.
- Les he escrito a mis padres.I've written to my parents.
Where they go
Object pronouns go before a conjugated verb, and after : (I don't know).
With an infinitive or a gerund, they can go before the first verb or be joined to the end: = ; = .
With an affirmative imperative they must be joined to the end, often with a written accent to keep the stress: (Buy it), (Tell him / her).
Two pronouns together: se lo
When you use both, the indirect one comes first: (You give it to me). If both start with l, and change to : not le lo, but .
In Spain you'll often hear instead of for a man or boy: (I saw him yesterday). This is accepted in standard Spain Spanish, but is always correct.
- ¿El libro? Te lo doy mañana.The book? I'll give it to you tomorrow.
- ¿El mensaje? Se lo doy a la doctora.The message? I'll give it to the doctor.