Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 2

CEFR A1-B1

5 min read

Test yourself (27 questions)

Spanish Indirect and Direct Object Pronouns (le vs lo)

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 11 October 2026

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

Quick check

Now use it: three quick questions on the chart above. The full practice is further down.

Fill in the blank

0/3

Replace the object with the correct direct object pronoun (lo, la, los, las) and write it in the gap.

  1. Veo el coche. -> veo. (el coche = masculine singular)

  2. Miro la casa. -> miro. (la casa = feminine singular)

  3. Veo los coches. -> veo. (los coches = masculine plural)

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.

How to tell direct from indirect

English hides the difference: I saw her and I gave her the book use the same her. Spanish does not.

AskSpanishResult
Acted on? María. : direct
Receives it? .María: indirect
Only a person? .María: direct

María (I see María) has an , but María is still the direct object: the personal a goes before a specific person who is a direct object. So an on the page proves nothing.

Four common verbs do not match English:

Verb (takes)ExampleEnglish
(direct) .I help her.
(direct) .I'll call him.
(indirect) .I ask him.
(indirect) .I ask him a favour.

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 .

Two pronouns together: se lo

When both appear, the indirect pronoun comes first:

  • . - He tells it to me.

And never sits in front of a third-person direct pronoun: it turns into .

le lo is impossible: se lo doy, I give it to him
  • . - I give him the book.
  • . - I give it to him.

The pronoun order page takes stacking one rule at a time.

Le with gustar

With , the thing liked is the subject and the person is the indirect object, so it is always , never :

  • . - He likes coffee.
  • Madrid. - They love Madrid.

The whole family is on gustar and verbs like it.

Saying the person twice: le ... a Juan

Spanish often names the indirect object twice: once as , once as a full phrase with .

  • Juan. - I gave Juan the book.
  • . - I write to my parents.
  • . - I like it.

With a noun such as Juan, the is normal in speech; leaving it out is correct but sounds more formal or written. With a pronoun such as or , it is compulsory:

  • . - I gave him the book.

The stressed forms , and are on prepositional pronouns.

In Madrid you will also hear for a man as a direct object: . - I saw him yesterday. This is leísmo, accepted for one male person; is correct everywhere. Regional Spanish grammar has the details.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
. .pronoun before a conjugated verb
. .the receiver is indirect:
. . takes the indirect pronoun
me . .indirect first, direct second
. . becomes before
a . .a needs as well
joining adds a written accent

What to do next

  1. Do the word-order tiles below until each pronoun lands in front of the verb.
  2. Read a Spanish text and mark each , and as direct or indirect.
  3. Then stack two at once with pronoun order.

See also

Practise: test yourself

Fill in the blank

0/7

Replace the object with the correct direct object pronoun (lo, la, los, las) and write it in the gap.

  1. Veo el coche. -> veo. (el coche = masculine singular)

  2. Miro la casa. -> miro. (la casa = feminine singular)

  3. Veo los coches. -> veo. (los coches = masculine plural)

  4. Miro las casas. -> miro. (las casas = feminine plural)

  5. Digo la verdad. -> digo. (la verdad = feminine singular)

  6. Veo el agua. -> veo. (el agua = feminine singular)

  7. Veo a los hombres. -> veo. (los hombres = masculine plural)

Pick the right one

0/6

Pick the pronoun that fits the gap: lo for the direct object (the thing seen, bought, given), le for the indirect object (the person who receives it).

  1. Veo el coche. -> veo.

  2. Doy el coche a María. -> doy el coche.

  3. Leo el libro. -> leo.

  4. Digo la verdad a Juan. -> digo la verdad.

  5. Hago el trabajo. -> hago.

  6. Pregunto la hora a Pedro. -> pregunto la hora.

Put the words in order

0/4

Put the words in order.

  1. Make it negative, with a pronoun: Veo la casa.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. He gives me the book.

    Your sentence is empty.

  3. I tell him the truth.

    Your sentence is empty.

  4. I give it to him. (el libro)

    Your sentence is empty.

Spot the mistake

0/5

Each sentence has one pronoun mistake an English speaker makes. Tap it.

Translation drill

0/5

Translate into Spanish, putting the object pronoun before the conjugated verb and applying the se lo rule where both pronouns appear.

  1. I see it. (the car)

  2. I give it to her. (the car)

  3. He tells it to me. (the truth)

  4. I see it. (the house)

  5. I give them to her. (the cars)

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Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Infographics

  1. Key points infographic
  2. Table 1
  3. Spanish direct object pronouns chart
  4. Spanish indirect object pronouns chart
  5. How to tell direct from indirect
  6. How to tell direct from indirect
  7. Position: before the conjugated verb
  8. Mistakes English speakers make

Other formats

  1. Listicle

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between direct and indirect object pronouns in Spanish?
A direct object is what the verb acts on; an indirect object is the person the action is done to or for. In a María (I give the book to María), is direct and becomes ; María is indirect and becomes . Me, , and are the same in both sets, so the real choice is only in the third person: , , , against , .
Why does become ?
Spanish never puts or directly in front of , , or . When the two would meet, or becomes : (I give it to him), never . This has nothing to do with the reflexive ; it is in disguise. The pronoun order page covers stacking two pronouns in full.
What are the 8 direct object pronouns in Spanish?
Me, , , , , , , . is I see it or him; is I buy them (feminine). is used in Spain only; Latin America uses or for you all. The third-person forms match the gender and number of the noun they replace.
How do you know if it is a direct or an indirect object?
Ask what the verb acts on: that is the direct object. Then ask who receives it, or could take to or for in English: that person is indirect. In , the book is given (direct), and he receives it (indirect, ). Beware the personal a: a María has an a, but María is the direct object ( ).
What is leísmo?
Using where the standard grammar wants for a male person: for (I saw him yesterday). It is common in central and northern Spain, and the accepts it for one male person, but not for things or for women. Learn and ; recognise when you hear it in Madrid.
Why do Spanish speakers say and a in the same sentence?
Because they do different jobs: fills the indirect-object slot next to the verb, and a says who it is. a Juan (I gave Juan the book) is normal Spanish. When the person is a pronoun, as in a or a , the is compulsory: a , never a .