Pronouns: Direct Objects — European Spanish Grammar

A direct object is the person or thing that directly receives the action of the verb. It answers the question "what?" or "whom?" regarding the verb. For example, in the sentence "I buy the book," the book is the direct object.

To avoid repetition, specific pronouns replace the noun. While English uses forms like "him," "her," or "us" after the verb, Spanish pronouns change form and often change position in the sentence.

Forms of Direct Object Pronouns

The form of the pronoun depends on who is receiving the action.

(me)
(you - singular, informal)
(him, it - masculine, formal "you" masculine)
(her, it - feminine, formal "you" feminine)
(us)
(you - plural, informal)
(them - masculine, formal "you" plural)
(them - feminine, formal "you" plural)

Note that is used specifically in Spain for addressing a group of friends or family. In Latin America, or (corresponding to ) is used for all groups.

Me ves.
You see me.
Nos llaman.
They call us.

Placement: Before Conjugated Verbs

The standard rule in Spanish is that object pronouns are placed before the conjugated verb. This is the opposite of English word order.

Ana come la manzana. -> Ana la come.
Ana eats the apple. -> Ana eats it.
No lo tengo.
I don't have it.
¿Te conozco?
Do I know you?

If the sentence is negative, the "no" comes before the pronoun.

Placement: Attached to Verbs

There are three specific instances where the pronoun can (or must) be attached to the end of the verb, forming a single word.

1. Infinitives

When a verb is in its dictionary form (ending in -ar, -er, -ir), you can attach the pronoun to the end.

Quiero comprarlo.
I want to buy it.
Es importante hacerlo.
It is important to do it.

2. Gerunds

When using the progressive form (ending in -ando, -iendo), you can attach the pronoun. Note that this often requires adding an accent mark to preserve the stress of the original verb.

Estoy mirándote.
I am watching you.
Están comiéndolas.
They are eating them.

3. Affirmative Commands (Imperatives)

When giving a direct order to do something, the pronoun must be attached to the end.

¡Bésame!
Kiss me!
¡Hazlo ahora!
Do it now!

However, for negative commands (telling someone not to do something), the pronoun returns to the position before the verb.

¡No lo hagas!
Don't do it!

Regional Variation: Leísmo

In standard Spanish grammar, is the direct object pronoun for masculine nouns (him/it). However, in Spain, it is very common to use instead of when the direct object is a male person. This phenomenon is called "leísmo" and is accepted by the Royal Spanish Academy.

Veo a Juan. -> Le veo.
I see Juan. -> I see him. (Spain)
Veo el libro. -> Lo veo.
I see the book. -> I see it. (Standard)

Using for a male person is also correct in Spain, but is frequently heard in daily conversation.

Pronouns After Prepositions

When a personal pronoun follows a preposition (such as , , , or ), the forms for "me" and "you" change to and .

(me)
(you)
/ / (him / her / formal you)
/ / (us / you plural / them)

Note that has an accent mark to distinguish it from (my).

Este regalo es para mí.
This gift is for me.
Hablo de ti.
I am talking about you.

There is one major exception: when used with the preposition (with), the forms combine to become (with me) and (with you).

¿Vienes conmigo?
Are you coming with me?
Quiero bailar contigo.
I want to dance with you.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s European Spanish course

45 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 5. A few of them, with the words “Pronouns: Direct Objects” is about in bold:

Los quiero y ellos me quieren.
I love them and they love me.
Lesson 32
Me encuentro muy bien. No estoy enfermo. Estoy sano.
I feel great! I am not sick. I am healthy.
Lesson 64
Pensándolo bien, es una mala idea.
On second thought, that is a bad idea.
Lesson 338

Comments

Loading comments…