Pronouns: Direct Objects — Mexican Spanish Grammar

A direct object is the person or thing that directly receives the action of a verb. A direct object pronoun replaces that noun to avoid repetition. For example, instead of saying "I see the book," you can say "I see it."

The direct object pronouns are:

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

Note that in Mexican Spanish, is used for "you" (plural) in both formal and informal situations. The corresponding direct object pronouns are and , depending on the gender of the group. The pronoun is used for "you" (plural, informal) primarily in Spain.

¿Ves a María? Sí, la veo.
Do you see María? Yes, I see her.
Compré los boletos. ¿Los tienes?
I bought the tickets. Do you have them?
Señor Pérez, lo estamos esperando.
Mr. Pérez, we are waiting for you.

Pronoun Placement

The placement of direct object pronouns depends on the form of the verb.

1. Before a Conjugated Verb

This is the most common placement. The pronoun comes directly before the verb that is conjugated (changed to match a subject and tense). In negative sentences, the pronoun goes between and the verb.

Te llamo más tarde.
I'll call you later.
Mis padres me visitan en verano.
My parents visit me in the summer.
No lo entiendo.
I don't understand it.

2. Attached to the End of a Verb

Pronouns can be attached directly to the end of certain verb forms: infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative commands.

Infinitives (-ar, -er, -ir)

When a verb is in its infinitive form, the pronoun is attached to the end to form one word.

Quiero comprarlo.
I want to buy it.
¿Puedes ayudarme?
Can you help me?

With verb phrases (like + infinitive or + infinitive), you have a choice: attach the pronoun to the infinitive or place it before the conjugated verb. Both are correct and mean the same thing.

Voy a hacerlo. / Lo voy a hacer.
I'm going to do it.
Necesito verla. / La necesito ver.
I need to see her.

Gerunds (-ando, -iendo)

Similarly, pronouns can be attached to gerunds. When you attach a pronoun, an accent mark is often needed to maintain the original stress of the word.

Estoy buscándolo.
I'm looking for it.
Sigue leyéndolo, es muy interesante.
Keep reading it, it's very interesting.

Like with infinitives, you can also place the pronoun before the helping verb (like ).

La estoy esperando. / Estoy esperándola.
I am waiting for her.

Affirmative Commands

Pronouns are always attached to the end of positive (affirmative) commands. An accent mark is usually required on the verb to preserve its original stress.

¡Cómpralo!
Buy it!
¡Dime!
Tell me!

For negative commands, the pronoun is never attached. It goes before the verb.

¡No lo compres!
Don't buy it!
¡No me digas!
Don't tell me!

Direct Object vs. Prepositional Pronouns

Do not confuse direct object pronouns (, ) with pronouns used after prepositions (, ).

Use and when they are the direct object of the verb.

Ella me conoce bien.
She knows me well.
Te vi en la fiesta.
I saw you at the party.

Use and after prepositions like (for), (to), (of/from), or (with).

Este regalo es para mí.
This gift is for me.
No puedo ir sin ti.
I can't go without you.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Mexican Spanish course

44 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 siento 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…