Pronouns: Indirect Objects — European Spanish Grammar

An indirect object represents the person or entity that receives the action of the verb indirectly. It answers the question "to whom?" or "for whom?" the action is performed.

For example, in the sentence "I buy flowers for my mother," "I" is the subject, "flowers" is the direct object (the thing being bought), and "my mother" is the indirect object (the recipient).

In Spanish, indirect object pronouns replace or accompany the noun representing this recipient.

The Forms of Indirect Object Pronouns

Unlike direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns generally do not change based on gender (masculine or feminine). They only change based on number (singular or plural) and person.

(to/for me)
(to/for you - informal singular)
(to/for him, her, it, or formal you)
(to/for us)
(to/for you - informal plural)
(to/for them, or formal you plural)

Note that and are used for both masculine and feminine recipients.

Juan me da el dinero.
Juan gives me the money.
¿Te gusta el coche?
Do you like the car? (Lit: Does the car please you?)
Os traigo la comida.
I bring you (all) the food.

Placement of Pronouns

The placement of indirect object pronouns follows specific rules depending on the verb form used in the sentence.

1. Before Conjugated Verbs

The most common position is immediately before the conjugated verb. If the sentence is negative, the pronoun goes between the negation and the verb.

Ella le escribe una carta.
She writes him a letter.
No nos dicen nada.
They don't tell us anything.

2. Attached to Infinitives and Gerunds

When an infinitive (verb ending in -ar, -er, -ir) or a gerund (verb ending in -ando, -iendo) is present, you have two options: place the pronoun before the conjugated verb or attach it directly to the end of the infinitive/gerund.

Voy a contarte un secreto.
I am going to tell you a secret.
Te voy a contar un secreto.
I am going to tell you a secret.
Está comprándoles un regalo.
He is buying them a gift.

3. With Imperatives (Commands)

For affirmative commands, the pronoun must be attached to the end of the verb. For negative commands, the pronoun must appear before the verb.

¡Dame el libro!
Give me the book!
¡No me des el libro!
Do not give me the book!

Duplication of the Indirect Object

In Spanish, it is standard practice to use the indirect object pronoun even when the specific name of the recipient is mentioned in the sentence. This is known as "reduplication." While it might seem redundant to an English speaker, it is grammatically required in many contexts and preferred in almost all others.

The structure is: Pronoun + Verb + "a" + Name/Noun.

Le di las llaves a Pedro.
I gave the keys to Pedro. (Lit: To him I gave the keys to Pedro.)
Les mandé un correo a mis jefes.
I sent an email to my bosses.
Le gusta el fútbol a María.
Maria likes football.

Clarifying 'Le' and 'Les'

Because can mean "to him," "to her," or "to you (formal)," and can mean "to them" or "to you all (formal)," the meaning can sometimes be ambiguous. To clarify exactly who is being referred to, Spanish speakers add a prepositional phrase starting with .

Le hablo a él.
I speak to him.
Le hablo a ella.
I speak to her.
Le hablo a usted.
I speak to you (formal).

Interaction with Direct Object Pronouns

When a sentence has both a direct object pronoun (like , ) and an indirect object pronoun, the indirect object always comes first.

However, a specific sound change occurs if both pronouns start with the letter "L". You cannot say or . Instead, the indirect object pronouns and change to .

Te lo doy.
I give it to you. (No change needed)
Se lo doy.
I give it to him/her. (Instead of "Le lo doy")
Se las enviamos.
We send them (fem.) to them. (Instead of "Les las enviamos")

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s European Spanish course

60 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 2. A few of them, with the words “Pronouns: Indirect Objects” is about in bold:

Te presento a mi amiga Anna. Es estudiante.
This is my friend, Anna. She is a student.
Lesson 2
¡No te había visto desde hace nueve años!
I haven't seen you for nine years!
Lesson 175
Mi padre le compró un regalo a mi madre.
My father bought a present for my mother.
Lesson 225

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