Grammar Guides / Spanish / Direct & Indirect Object Pronouns

🎯 Direct & Indirect Object Pronouns

Replace nouns with pronouns, master placement rules, and combine them correctly

A2 12 min read 5 sections

Direct Object Pronouns

A direct object receives the action of the verb directly. "I see the dog" → "the dog" is the direct object. In Spanish, you can replace the direct object with a pronoun to avoid repetition. Direct object pronouns answer the question "what?" or "whom?"

Pronoun	Meaning	Example
me	me	Ella me ve. (She sees me.)
te	you (informal)	Yo te llamo. (I call you.)
lo	him / it (masc.) / you (formal masc.)	Lo veo. (I see him/it.)
la	her / it (fem.) / you (formal fem.)	La conozco. (I know her.)
nos	us	Nos invitan. (They invite us.)
los	them (masc.) / you all (masc.)	Los necesito. (I need them.)
las	them (fem.) / you all (fem.)	Las compro. (I buy them.)

Tip: In Latin America, "lo" is used for both people and things (masculine). In Spain, you may hear "le" for male people (this is called leísmo). Stick with "lo" for standard usage.

Indirect Object Pronouns

An indirect object tells you to whom or for whom the action is done. "I give the book to her" → "to her" is the indirect object. Indirect object pronouns answer the question "to whom?" or "for whom?"

Pronoun	Meaning	Example
me	to/for me	Me da el libro. (He gives me the book.)
te	to/for you (informal)	Te escribo una carta. (I write you a letter.)
le	to/for him / her / you (formal)	Le digo la verdad. (I tell him/her the truth.)
nos	to/for us	Nos manda un mensaje. (He sends us a message.)
les	to/for them / you all	Les explico la lección. (I explain the lesson to them.)

Mi mamá me compra un regalo.My mom buys me a gift. ("me" = to/for me, "un regalo" = direct object)

Tip: Notice that me, te, and nos are the same for both direct and indirect objects. The difference only matters for third person: lo/la (direct) vs. le (indirect).

Placement Rules

Object pronouns (both direct and indirect) follow the same placement rules. They go before a conjugated verb, attach to the end of infinitives and gerunds, and attach to affirmative commands.

Context	Example	Translation
Before conjugated verb	Lo veo.	I see him.
Attached to infinitive	Quiero verlo.	I want to see him.
Before helping verb	Lo quiero ver.	I want to see him. (same meaning)
Attached to gerund	Estoy viéndolo.	I am seeing him.
Attached to affirmative command	¡Dímelo!	Tell it to me!
Before negative command	¡No me lo digas!	Don't tell it to me!

Tip: When attaching pronouns to a gerund or command, add a written accent to keep the original stress: diciendo → diciéndolo, di → dímelo.

Using Both Together

When a sentence has both an indirect and direct object pronoun, the indirect always comes first. The most important rule to memorize: when le or les would appear directly before lo, la, los, or las, the le/les changes to se. This is the famous "le → se" rule.

Full Sentence	With Pronouns	Translation
Doy el libro a María.	Se lo doy.	I give it to her.
Compro las flores a mi mamá.	Se las compro.	I buy them for her.
Mando el mensaje a ellos.	Se lo mando.	I send it to them.
Explico la lección a los estudiantes.	Se la explico.	I explain it to them.

¿El libro? Se lo doy a ella mañana.The book? I'll give it to her tomorrow.

Tip: Since "se" can mean "to him," "to her," "to you," or "to them," Spanish speakers often add "a él / a ella / a usted / a ellos" for clarity. "Se lo doy a ella" removes all ambiguity.

Common Mistakes

Object pronouns trip up learners in predictable ways. Here are the most common errors and how to fix them.

Mistake	Wrong	Correct	Why
Using lo for indirect	❌ Lo digo la verdad.	✅ Le digo la verdad.	"to him" requires indirect le, not direct lo.
Wrong order (direct before indirect)	❌ Lo me da.	✅ Me lo da.	Indirect always comes before direct.
Forgetting le → se rule	❌ Le lo doy.	✅ Se lo doy.	le + lo is not allowed; le becomes se.
Dropping redundant pronoun	❌ A María gusta el café.	✅ A María le gusta el café.	The "le" is required even when "a María" is present.

Tip: The redundant pronoun rule is unique to Spanish: even when you name the person ("a María"), you still need the indirect object pronoun ("le"). It feels redundant but is grammatically required.

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🎯 Direct & Indirect Object Pronouns

Direct Object Pronouns

Indirect Object Pronouns

Placement Rules

Using Both Together

Common Mistakes

Practice with Interactive Quizzes

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