Kilo Lingo

Ch 2 · Lesson 26

Lo, la, le: him, her, it

The little words that stand in for a noun, and the one rule that matters first: they go in front of the verb. , , .

The short version

Where the object pronoun lives

.

He's reading it.
Why?

The default home for an object pronoun is directly in front of the conjugated verb: , not . With an infinitive, a gerund or an affirmative command it attaches to the end instead (with verb plus infinitive or gerund, in front of the conjugated verb works too). When attaching would pull the stress, a written accent pins it where it was: , , but needs none.

A direct object pronoun stands for what the verb acts on: . - I see it. An indirect one stands for the person who receives it: . - I give him the book. Both go before a conjugated verb. The only real choice is in the third person: or against .

direct (what)indirect (to whom)What do the colours mean?
PersonDirectIndirectEnglish
Ime, to me
you ()you, to you
he, it (m.)him, it, to him
she, it (f.)her, it, to her
, you, to you (polite)
weus, to us
you all (Spain)you, to you
they (m.)them, to them
they (f.)them, to them

Spanish direct object pronouns chart

A direct object pronoun answers what? or whom?: the thing seen, bought or read, the person called or helped.

PronounExampleEnglish
.You see me.
.I'll call you.
.I'm buying it.
.I can see her.
.They help us.
.I'll wait for you.
.I' got them.
.I read them.

The third-person forms copy the gender and number of the noun they replace:

  • . becomes . - I'm buying it.
  • . becomes . - I read them.

is feminine despite its , so it takes : . - I drink it.

Spanish indirect object pronouns chart

An indirect object pronoun answers to whom? or for whom?: the person who receives the thing, hears the words, or has something done for them.

One person holds out a smiling book towards a second person, who reaches out happily to take it; a curved arrow with a heart runs from the giver to the receiver.
  2. ,
  3. María,

Le doy el libro a María. The book is what is given (direct: lo); María receives it (indirect: le).

PronounExampleEnglish
.You give me the book.
.I'll write to you.
.I tell him the truth.
.They buy bread for us.
.I'll write to you tomorrow.
.I explain the plan to them.

and do not change for gender. is to him, to her and to you () at once, which is why Spanish often adds , or to say which:

  • . - I'm writing to her.
  • . - I'm writing to you.

Position: before the conjugated verb

With a conjugated verb, the pronoun goes directly in front of it.

Veo el libro (I see the book) becomes Lo veo (I see it)
  • . - I see the book. . - I see it.
  • María. - I give the book to María. . - I give her the book.

goes in front of the pronoun and the verb together:

No
Pronoun
Verb
  • . - I don't see it.
  • . - I'm not telling him anything.

With an infinitive, a gerund or a positive command, the pronoun is joined to the end of the verb instead:

Verb formSpanishEnglish
infinitive .I want to see it.
gerund .I'm reading it.
command.Buy it.

With a conjugated verb plus an infinitive or a gerund, both places work:

  • . / . - I want to see it.
  • . / . - I'm reading it.

When joining a pronoun moves the stress, a written accent keeps it where it was: becomes .

Going further: How to tell direct from indirect and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.

Read the full guide (optional) · 5 min read

Practice

Practise this lesson

10-question session

One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.

Spanish · Free printables

Worksheets for this lesson

Worksheets with answer keys built in. Open any one to view, print or save.

Lesson 26 of 50 in this chapter

Back to the curriculum

What do the colours mean?