Pronouns: Indirect Objects

01

The Indirect Object Pronouns

The pronouns used to represent the indirect object are:

• me - to/for me
• te - to/for you (informal singular)
• le - to/for him, her, you (formal singular)
• nos - to/for us
• les - to/for them, you all

Notice that le and les are ambiguous and can refer to different people. Context or clarification is often needed.

• Mi abuela me cuenta historias.

  My grandmother tells me stories.

• ¿Te puedo ofrecer algo de tomar?

  Can I offer you something to drink?

• Les compramos los boletos a nuestros amigos.

  We bought the tickets for our friends.

02

Placement of Pronouns

Like direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns are placed in specific positions.

1. Before a conjugated verb

This is the most common placement.

• Le mandé un mensaje a Sofía.

  I sent a message to Sofía.

• ¿Nos traes la cuenta, por favor?

  Will you bring us the check, please?

2. Attached to an infinitive (-ar, -er, -ir)

When a sentence has a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive, the pronoun can either go before the conjugated verb or be attached to the end of the infinitive.

• Voy a darte un consejo.

  I'm going to give you a piece of advice.

• Te voy a dar un consejo.

  I'm going to give you a piece of advice.

3. Attached to a gerund (-ando, -iendo)

Similarly, with the present progressive, the pronoun can go before the conjugated form of estar or be attached to the gerund.

• Estoy escribiéndole una carta.

  I am writing him/her a letter.

• Le estoy escribiendo una carta.

  I am writing him/her a letter.

03

Clarifying with 'le' and 'les'

In Spanish, it is very common—and often grammatically necessary—to include the indirect object pronoun even when the indirect object is explicitly stated in the sentence. This is especially true for le and les.

This might seem redundant, but it is standard practice. The pronoun is used to "announce" the indirect object that follows.

• Le di el dinero a mi hermano.

  I gave the money to my brother.

• ¿Les platicaste la noticia a tus papás?

  Did you tell the news to your parents?

Because le can mean to him, to her, or to you (formal), the full phrase (a él, a ella, a usted) is often added for clarity.

• Le preparé la cena.

  I prepared dinner for him/her/you. (Ambiguous)

• Le preparé la cena a ella.

  I prepared dinner for her. (Clear)

04

Using 'se' with Direct Object Pronouns

When an indirect object pronoun (le or les) is immediately followed by a direct object pronoun that begins with "l" (lo, la, los, las), the indirect object pronoun changes to se. This is done to avoid the awkward sound of "le lo" or "les la".

The rule is: le/les + lo/la/los/las → se + lo/la/los/las

• Le doy el libro. → Se lo doy.

  I give the book to him/her. → I give it to him/her.

• Les compré las flores. → Se las compré.

  I bought the flowers for them. → I bought them for them.

Since se is also ambiguous, you can add a clarifying phrase at the end of the sentence.

• Se lo dije.

  I said it to him/her/them/you. (Ambiguous)

• Se lo dije a mi jefe.

  I said it to my boss. (Clear)