Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 17

CEFR B1

3 min read

Test yourself (18 questions)

Spanish Pronoun Order: Double Object Pronouns and se lo

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

Two object pronouns go indirect first (to whom), then direct (what). Before , , or , the indirect and become :

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Choose the right pronoun pair or verb form.

  1. doy a él. (I give it to him.)

  2. No digas. (Don't tell it to her.)

  3. , por favor. (Give it to me.)

indirect, to whomdirect, whatthe accent you addWhat do the colours mean?
  • . - I give it to you.
  • . - I give it to him (or her, or them).

Pronoun order at a glance

RuleSpanishEnglish
indirect first .He/she brings it to me.
, become .I explain it to them.
before a verb .I'm not giving it to you.
on an infinitive .I'm going to give it to you.
on a gerund .I'm explaining it to you.
on a yes command.Give it to me.
no command: in front .Don't give it to me.

Indirect before direct

The person who receives comes first, the thing second, then the verb:

To whomSpanishEnglish
to me .He/she gives it to me.
to you .I write it to you.
to him/her .I take them to him/her.
to us .He/she brings them to us.
to you all .I send it to you all.
to them .I explain it to them.

English puts it first (give it to me), which is why learners write me. Spanish starts with the person:

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.

Se lo doy: I give it (lo, the book) to him or her (se, standing in for le).

A reflexive pronoun also goes first: . - I put it on.

Le and les become se

Standard Spanish never puts or straight before , , or . The indirect pronoun turns into :

le and les become se before lo, la, los, las
NeverSay insteadEnglish
.I give it to him/her.
.I send it to them.
.I take them to him/her.

This is not reflexive: it is or in disguise. So can mean to him, to her, to you () or to them. Add a phrase with a to make it clear:

  • . - I give it to her.
  • . - I give it to you (all).

Where the pair goes

indirect, to whomdirect, whatthe accent you addWhat do the colours mean?

The pair goes in front of a conjugated verb, as separate words. It joins the end of an infinitive, a gerund or a positive command, as one word:

Verb formSpanishEnglish
conjugated .I give it to you.
negative .I'm not giving it to you.
infinitive .I want to give it to you.
gerund .I'm explaining it to you.
yes command.Give it to me.
no command .Don't give it to me.

With a verb plus an infinitive, both positions are right. The pair moves together:

Pronouns
Verbs
Joined on
empty
empty
telo
  • . - I'm going to give it to you.
  • . - I'm going to give it to you.

Never split the pair: , not a .

The written accent

Joining pronouns on makes the word longer, but the stress stays where it was. When the stressed syllable ends up third from the end or further back, write an accent on it:

VerbOne pronounTwo pronouns
(command)
(command)

So two pronouns on an infinitive always need the accent, and a gerund needs it even with one. keeps the stress second from the end, so it needs none:

  • . - Give me the book.
  • . - Give it to me.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
me . .the indirect comes first
. . becomes before
. . becomes too
..the accent keeps the stress
No . .a no command keeps them before
a . .the pair stays together

What to do next

  1. Take five sentences with two objects ( a Ana) and swap both for pronouns.
  2. Do the sort and spot-the-mistake drills below.
  3. Object pronouns has both sets on their own.

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/5

Choose the right pronoun pair or verb form.

  1. doy a él. (I give it to him.)

  2. No digas. (Don't tell it to her.)

  3. , por favor. (Give it to me.)

  4. Estoy . (explaining it to you)

  5. Quiero . (to give it to you)

Sort into groups

0/6

Which pronoun pair replaces each pair of objects?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Put the words in order

0/3

Put the words in order.

  1. I give it to you.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. Don't tell it to him.

    Your sentence is empty.

  3. I'm going to give it to him.

    Your sentence is empty.

Spot the mistake

0/4

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

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Frequently asked questions

What order do Spanish object pronouns go in?
The indirect pronoun (to whom) comes first, then the direct one (what), then the verb: (he gives it to me), (I give it to you). A reflexive pronoun also goes first: (I put it on).
Why does ' ' become ' '?
Standard Spanish never puts or straight before , , or . The or turns into : I give it to him is , never . This is not reflexive; it stands in for or , so can mean to him, to her, to you () or to them. Add a , a or a to make it clear.
When do pronouns attach to the verb in Spanish?
Before a conjugated verb they are separate words in front: . On the end of an infinitive, a gerund or a positive command they join the verb as one word: , , . With a verb plus an infinitive both are fine: a or a . A negative command keeps them in front: .
Why does have an accent?
Because adding pronouns makes the word longer but the stress stays where it was. In the stress is on , now three syllables from the end, and Spanish marks that with a written accent. , with one pronoun, keeps the stress second from the end and needs none. Two pronouns on an infinitive always need one: , .
Can the two pronouns be split up?
No. The pair always travels together, either both before the verb or both on the end: a or a , never a .