A2
Object pronouns
The Spanish direct and indirect object pronouns, where they sit, and how to tell which one a verb needs.
| direct | indirect | |
|---|---|---|
| me | me | me |
| you | te | te |
| him / her / it | lo / la | le |
| us | nos | nos |
| you (pl.) | os | os |
| them | los / las | les |
Only the third person differs. Everywhere else one form does both jobs.
They go before the conjugated verb
Lo veo.
him I-see
I see him.
Te llamo mañana.
you I-call tomorrow
I’ll call you tomorrow.
Veo lo.
Lo veo.
The pronoun precedes the conjugated verb. English word order here produces something no Spanish speaker would say.
With an infinitive or a gerund they can attach
Both positions are correct and both are common.
Voy a llamarte. / Te voy a llamar.
I-go to to-call-you / you I-go to call
I’m going to call you.
Attached, the pronoun is written as part of the word. With a gerund an accent appears to keep the stress where it was: estoy llamándote.
Which set a verb takes
If the verb takes a before a person, the pronoun is indirect.
Le doy el libro.
to-him I-give the book
I give him the book.
Dar a alguien, decir a alguien, escribir a alguien — all le. But ver, llamar and ayudar take a direct object.
le for a person, lo for a thing — in much of Spain
Standard grammar says lo for a masculine direct object whether person or thing. Central and northern Spain use le for a male person, which is called leísmo and is accepted by the Real Academia for that case only.
Le vi ayer. / Lo vi ayer.
him I-saw yesterday / him I-saw yesterday
I saw him yesterday.
Both are correct Spanish. Le for a thing, or for a woman, is not.
lo also stands for a whole idea
No lo sé.
not it I-know
I don’t know.
There is nothing masculine here — lo refers to the situation. This is the commonest lo of all.