Direct Object Pronouns in SpanishA1

Direct object pronouns substitute the complement that directly receives the action of the verb. Instead of repeating the noun, a pronoun is used to avoid repetition: veo el libro becomes lo veo. If you remove that element, the sentence loses what thing or who receives the action. In Ana compra flores, las substitutes flores. The verb remains the same; it only changes the element that names the direct object.

The forms are me, te, lo, la, nos, os, los and las. Me and te appear when the person receiving the action is first or second person: me llamas, te vi. Nos and os work the same in plural: nos buscan, os invitan. Lo, la, los and las substitute third-person names: lo, la, los and las change according to number, and later you will see how they can also relate to gender. These forms are the same ones you need for Pronombres Dobles, because the direct object pronoun usually goes together with another pronoun in that structure.

Agreement of person number and gender

Word	Definition
me	Sustituye a un objeto directo de primera persona singular.
te	Sustituye a un objeto directo de segunda persona singular.
lo	Sustituye a un objeto directo masculino singular.
la	Sustituye a un objeto directo femenino singular.
nos	Sustituye a un objeto directo de primera persona plural.
os	Sustituye a un objeto directo de segunda persona plural.
los	Sustituye a un objeto directo masculino plural.
las	Sustituye a un objeto directo femenino plural.

ScrambleShow TranslationShow Questions

Direct object pronouns agree with the person and number of the noun they replace. For first and second person, me, te, nos and os are used, without gender marking: me conocen, te esperan, nos escuchan, os miran. In third person singular, lo replaces a masculine noun and la a feminine one: el coche → lo, la mesa → la. In plural, los replaces masculine or mixed nouns and las replaces feminine nouns: los libros → los, las cartas → las. If you want to review the difference between this type of pronouns and indirect object pronouns, it is worth looking at Pronombres de objeto indirecto.

Placement of direct pronouns

Idea
El pronombre debe coincidir con la persona del objeto directo.
El pronombre debe coincidir con el número del objeto directo.
En singular, lo señala un objeto masculino.
En singular, la señala un objeto femenino.

Show Translation

With a conjugated verb, the pronoun goes before: lo quiero, la compré, nos invitan. When the phrase carries an infinitive or gerund, it can go before the conjugated verb or attached to the infinitive or gerund: lo voy a ver or voy a verlo; la estoy leyendo or estoy leyéndola. In the affirmative command, it is attached to the verb: cómpralo, dímelo, sentaos. If two pronouns appear at once, the order and the form follow the rules of Pronombres Dobles.

Duplication with direct human object

Usage	Explanation
Con verbo conjugado	Va antes del verbo cuando aparece un verbo conjugado solo.
Con infinitivo	Puede ir antes o después del infinitivo y se une al final si va detrás.
Con gerundio	Suele ir unido al gerundio cuando se coloca detrás.
Con imperativo afirmativo	Se pega al final del imperativo afirmativo.

Show Translation

With people, the direct object usually takes the personal preposition a: veo a María, llaman a mi padre. That a does not turn the complement into indirect object; it only marks that the direct object is a person or a personified animal. When the noun appears before or emphasis is desired, it can be duplicated with a pronoun: a María la vi ayer, a mis vecinos los saludé. In that structure, the noun and the pronoun indicate the same person. Duplication is common with human objects and relates to the use of Pronombres reflexivos and Pronombres Dobles, where Spanish also places pronouns together with clear meaning in the sentence.

Regional variation

Idea
Con personas, se usa a personal para marcar el objeto directo humano.
El sustantivo puede repetirse con un pronombre para dar énfasis.
La duplicación ayuda cuando el objeto directo es claro y se quiere destacar.

Show Translation

In many parts of Spain, le can appear where other varieties use lo for a masculine singular human direct object: le vi ayer. This use is called leísmo. There are also differences with los and las in some regions, especially when talking about people. In international standard Spanish, lo, la, los and las remain for direct object, and le is reserved for indirect object. With polite forms like usted and ustedes, the direct object pronoun still reflects the real person and the grammatical number: lo llamé if you are addressing a man as you, la llamé if addressing a woman as you, los saludé for several men or for a mixed group addressed as you.