Indirect Object Pronouns in SpanishA2

Indirect object pronouns indicate the person, the animal, or the thing that receives something, benefits from the action, or is affected by it. In Juan da el libro a Marta, a Marta is the indirect object: it indicates who receives the book. With the pronoun, the sentence becomes Juan le da el libro. If you remove that idea, the action still exists, but the receiver is no longer specified. They also appear with verbs that express liking, interest, harm, or help: me gusta el café, les molesta el ruido, nos prestaron dinero. Their function is to connect the action with its recipient or affected party.

The singular forms are me, te and le. Me marks the first person: me escriben, me prestas, me duele. Te marks the second person: te llaman, te regalo, te hablan. Le marks the third person singular: le cuento, le sirven, le ofrecen. In plural, the forms are nos, os, les: nos traen, os explico, les compran. The pronoun agrees with the recipient’s person, not with the object given or with the verb. To recognize its value, compare it with Direct Object Pronouns: the direct object receives the action, while the indirect object receives or benefits from what happens.

Basic forms of indirect object

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
yo	dar	me
tú	dar	te
él	dar	le
ella	dar	le
nosotros	dar	nos
vosotros	dar	os
ellos	dar	les
ellas	dar	les

ScrambleShow Translation

With a conjugated verb, the pronoun goes in front: me llaman, te escribo, le explicamos, nos prestan. If there are two pronouns, both go in front of the verb: se lo digo, te la doy. With an infinitive or a gerund, it can go in front of or attached to the non-conjugated verb: le quiero hablar and quiero hablarle; nos están ayudando and están ayudándonos. In affirmative imperatives, it is attached at the end: dime, cuéntale, háganoslo. In negative imperatives, it goes in front: no me hables, no les digas, no nos lo des. The position changes, but the pronoun’s function does not change.

Habitual position of pronouns

Usage	Explanation
Before the conjugated verb	Use the pronoun in front of the conjugated verb when the verb form is in the present, past, or simple future.
With infinitive	Place the pronoun attached to the infinitive when it accompanies an unconjugated verb.
With gerund	You can put the pronoun attached to the gerund to sound natural and fluent.
With affirmative imperative	In affirmative commands, the pronoun goes attached to the imperative.

Show Translation

The indirect object usually appears twice when you want to make clear who receives the action: first with the pronoun and then with a noun or noun phrase introduced by a. Thus, you say le di el paquete a Ana, les enviamos la invitación a mis padres, nos ofrecieron un asiento a los viajeros. This duplication is very common with proper names, specific people, and defined groups. The pronoun does not replace the name in these cases; it accompanies it. This structure appears often together with Double Pronouns, because Spanish prefers to clearly mark to whom the action is directed.

Repetition of the indirect object

Idea
The recipient is repeated with a name or noun phrase to make clear who receives the action.
Duplication helps to avoid ambiguity when there are several people in the sentence.
The pronoun does not always replace the proper name because they often coexist in the same sentence.

Show Translation

When le or les come before a direct object pronoun, they change to se: se lo doy, se la explico, se los presté, se las enviaron. The change avoids the combination le lo, les la, le los, les las, which sounds awkward. This substitution does not change the meaning: se lo still represents an indirect object and a direct object at the same time. The pronoun se here is not reflexive; it is the form that replaces le and les in that position. This alternation also appears together with Reflexive Pronouns, although the value is different.

Change of pronouns before another pronoun

Idea
Le and les change to se when they appear in front of a direct object pronoun.
The change avoids repetition of sounds in the same sentence.
The form does not change the person of the recipient and continues to indicate the indirect object.

Show Translation

In some regions of Spain, os is used for the second-person plural: os digo, os traen, os explican. In other regions, les appears more often to direct the action toward several people than in general use. There is also leísmo, very common in certain areas, where le or les are used as the direct object for a person: le vi ayer, les conocí en la estación. That form is not part of the general pattern of the indirect object, but it coexists with it in actual speech. It is useful to recognize it when reading and listening, even though the basic structure of the indirect object remains the same.

Regional variants of common use

Region	Variant	Definition	Example
Spain	os	It is used as an indirect object pronoun for the second person plural in many regions.	A vosotros os avisaron temprano.To you all you were warned early.
Spain	leísmo	It consists of using le for the direct object of a person in certain contexts.	A Pablo le vi en el tren.I saw Pablo on the train.
Spain	lesísmo	It consists of using les for the direct object of a person in some speakers.	A las chicas les vi en el museo.I saw the girls at the museum.
Mexico	les	In many areas, les is heard very naturally as a form of indirect object plural.	A los vecinos les llevé pan dulce.I brought sweet bread to the neighbors.
Argentina	le	In everyday speech, le can appear very frequently in colloquial constructions.	A mi hermano le dije la verdad.I told my brother the truth.

ScrambleShow Translation