(Los Pronombres de Objeto Directo, Indirecto y Doble)

Direct, Indirect, and Double Object Pronouns in Spanish

(Los Pronombres de Objeto Directo, Indirecto y Doble)

Spanish uses object pronouns to replace nouns that receive the action of a verb. By substituting these nouns with pronouns, speakers can avoid repetition and make sentences flow more naturally. Direct, indirect, and double object pronouns each play a specific role in showing who or what is affected by the action—allowing communication to be clearer, smoother, and more efficient.

1) What Is an Object Pronoun?

An object pronoun replaces a noun that receives the action of the verb.

English	Spanish
I see María → I see her.	Veo a María → La veo.
He gives Juan a gift → He gives him a gift.	Da un regalo a Juan → Le da un regalo.

2) Direct Object Pronouns (DOPs)

(Los Pronombres de Objeto Directo)

The direct object answers the question:
What? or Whom? is directly affected by the action.

English Pronoun	Spanish DOP	Example	Translation
me	me	Él me ve.	He sees me.
you (familiar)	te	Yo te llamo.	I call you.
him / it / you (formal)	lo	Ella lo conoce.	She knows him/it.
her / it / you (formal)	la	Yo la veo.	I see her/it.
us	nos	Ellos nos ayudan.	They help us.
you all (Spain)	os	Nosotros os vemos.	We see you all.
them / you all	los / las	Yo los invito.	I invite them.

Examples:

• Compro el libro → Lo compro. → I buy it.
  
• Miro a las chicas → Las miro. → I look at them.
  
• Nos escuchan → They listen to us.
  

3) Indirect Object Pronouns (IOPs)

(Los Pronombres de Objeto Indirecto)

The indirect object tells to whom or for whom the action is done.

English Pronoun	Spanish IOP	Example	Translation
to / for me	me	Ella me da un regalo.	She gives me a gift.
to / for you	te	Yo te envío una carta.	I send you a letter.
to / for him, her, you (formal)	le	Él le compra flores.	He buys her flowers.
to / for us	nos	Ellos nos muestran las fotos.	They show us the pictures.
to / for you all (Spain)	os	Yo os cuento la historia.	I tell you all the story.
to / for them, you all	les	Ella les cocina la cena.	She cooks dinner for them.

Examples:

• Doy el dinero a ti → Te doy el dinero. → I give you the money.
  
• Compramos flores para ella → Le compramos flores. → We buy her flowers.
  
• Ellos escriben cartas a sus amigos → Les escriben cartas. → They write to their friends.
  

4) Placement of Object Pronouns

A. Before a Conjugated Verb

• Te veo. → I see you.
  
• Nos ayudan. → They help us.
  
• Le doy el libro. → I give him the book.
  

B. Attached to an Infinitive

• Voy a llamarte. → I’m going to call you.
  
• Quiero verlo. → I want to see him/it.
  
• Necesitamos ayudarlos. → We need to help them.
  

C. Attached to a Gerund (Present Progressive)

• Estoy escribiéndole una carta. → I’m writing him a letter.
  
• Estamos escuchándolos. → We’re listening to them.
  

Accent marks are added to maintain pronunciation:

• llamándome, escribiéndote, ayudándolo
  

D. Attached to a Positive Command

• Dímelo. → Tell it to me.
  
• Hazlo. → Do it.
  
• Tráeme el libro. → Bring me the book.
  

E. Before a Negative Command

• No me digas. → Don’t tell me.
  
• No lo hagas. → Don’t do it.
  

5) Double Object Pronouns

(Pronombres Dobles)

When a sentence has both a direct and an indirect object, Spanish uses two pronouns together.

Formula:
(Indirect) + (Direct) + Verb

Sentence	Pronouns Used	Result
Ella me da el libro. → She gives me the book.	me + lo	Ella me lo da.
Ellos te escriben una carta.	te + la	Ellos te la escriben.
Juan nos muestra las fotos.	nos + las	Juan nos las muestra.
Yo le compro un regalo a mi madre.	le + lo	Yo se lo compro.

6) Rule Change: “Le” and “Les” → “Se”

When le or les comes before lo, la, los, or las,
Spanish changes le/les → se to make pronunciation smoother.

Incorrect	Correct	Translation
Le lo doy.	Se lo doy.	I give it to him.
Les la traigo.	Se la traigo.	I bring it to them.
Le los envío.	Se los envío.	I send them to her.

Even though “se” looks like a reflexive pronoun, here it just means “to him, to her, to them, to you.”

7) Clarifying “Se” with Prepositional Phrases

Because se can mean to him, her, you, or them, add a clarifier when needed:

• Se lo doy a ella. → I give it to her.
  
• Se los escribo a ustedes. → I write them to you all.
  
• Se la explico a mi madre. → I explain it to my mom.
  

8) Placement of Double Object Pronouns

Construction	Placement	Example
1. Before a conjugated verb	(IO + DO + verb)	Se lo doy.
2. Attached to infinitive	(verb + IO + DO)	Voy a dárselo.
3. Attached to gerund	(verb + IO + DO)	Estoy dándoselo.
4. Attached to positive command	(verb + IO + DO)	Dámelo.
5. Before negative command	(IO + DO + verb)	No me lo des.

9) Examples Across Tenses

Tense	Example	Translation
Present	Te lo doy.	I give it to you.
Preterite	Se lo di ayer.	I gave it to her yesterday.
Future	Te lo daré mañana.	I will give it to you tomorrow.
Conditional	Nos lo compraría.	He would buy it for us.
Present Progressive	Estoy escribiéndoselo.	I’m writing it to him.
Infinitive	Voy a mostrártelo.	I’m going to show it to you.

10) Practice: Fill in the Blanks

1. Yo ________ (give it to her) → ________.
   
2. Nosotros ________ (send them to you) → ________.
   
3. Ella ________ (shows them to us) → ________.
   
4. Tú ________ (tell it to me) → ________.
   
5. Ellos ________ (buy it for her) → ________.
   

Answers:

1. se lo doy
   
2. te los enviamos
   
3. nos las muestra
   
4. me lo dices
   
5. se lo compran
   

11) Practice: Translate

1. I write him a letter.
   
2. We give them the keys.
   
3. She shows me the photos.
   
4. I tell it to you.
   
5. They send it to us.
   

Answers:

1. Le escribo una carta.
   
2. Les damos las llaves.
   
3. Ella me muestra las fotos.
   
4. Te lo digo.
   
5. Nos lo envían.
   

12) Common Pitfalls & Fixes

Wrong	Correct	Why
Le lo doy.	Se lo doy.	“Le + lo” → “Se lo.”
Nos las lo enseña.	Nos las enseña.	Only two pronouns allowed.
Me los gusta.	Me gustan.	“Gustar” doesn’t take DOPs — use IOPs only.
Voy a lo comprar.	Voy a comprarlo. or Lo voy a comprar.	DOPs go before or attached, not after “a.”
Dímelo lo ahora.	Dímelo ahora.	Pronouns attach to command — only once.

13) Quick Reference Summary

Type	Pronouns	Function	Example
Direct	me, te, lo/la, nos, os, los/las	receives action directly	Lo veo.
Indirect	me, te, le, nos, os, les	receives action indirectly (to/for whom)	Le doy el libro.
Double	se/me/te/nos/os + lo/la/los/las	replaces both D.O. and I.O. nouns	Se lo doy.

Why Object Pronouns Matter

Understanding object pronouns allows learners to:

• Speak naturally and efficiently without repetition
  
• Use complex, fluent sentence structures
  
• Connect gustar-type verbs, commands, and tenses seamlessly
  
• Express who receives or performs an action clearly
  

They’re essential for real-world conversation and accurate comprehension, especially in intermediate and advanced Spanish communication.

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