Pronoun Order & Combinations
When sentences have more than one pronoun, they follow a specific order and sometimes change form when attached to verbs. This guide goes over the main clitic pronouns and how they line up in double-object constructions.
Clitic Pronouns
Clitic pronouns are short forms that attach to verbs or appear immediately before auxiliary forms. They include me, te, le, la, lo, se, nos, os, and les. These tiny forms pack meaning for recipients, objects, and beneficiaries.
| Clitic Pronoun | Function |
|---|---|
| me | to/for me (indirect), me (direct) |
| te | to/for you (informal), you (direct) |
| le | to/for him/her/you (formal) (indirect) |
| les | to/for them/you all (indirect) |
| lo | him/it/you (masculine) (direct) |
| la | her/it/you (feminine) (direct) |
| los | them/you all (masculine) (direct) |
| las | them/you all (feminine) (direct) |
| nos | to/for us (indirect), us (direct) |
| os | to/for you all (Spain) (indirect), you all (direct) |
| se | reflexive or replaces le/les before certain pronouns |
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Pronoun Order
When both an indirect-object pronoun and a direct-object pronoun appear, the indirect-object pronoun normally comes first. The typical order is: reflexive/indirect pronoun (me, te, le, nos, os, se) followed by direct-object pronoun (lo, la, los, las).
| Position | Type | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indirect / Reflexive | me, te, le, les, nos, os, se |
| 2 | Direct | lo, la, los, las |
| English Example | English Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ☕ I gave you the coffee. | I gave you the coffee. | Simple direct object |
| 🍪 I gave you the cookie. | I gave you the cookie. | Simple indirect object |
| ☕🍪 I gave you the coffee and the cookie. | I gave you the coffee and the cookie. | Two objects |
| 📝 I gave it to you. | I gave it to you. | Direct before indirect |
| 🙋 I gave you it. | I gave you it. | Uncommon in English |
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Double-Object Pronouns
When both an indirect-object pronoun (le / les) and a direct-object pronoun (lo, la, los, las) appear together, le or les changes to se to avoid the awkward le lo. This se behaves like an indirect-object pronoun but signals the substitution.
| English Indirect Object | Spanish Indirect-Object Pronoun | Spanish Double-Object Pronoun |
|---|---|---|
| to/for him/her/you (formal) | le | se |
| to/for them/you all | les | se |
| to/for me | me | me |
| to/for you | te | te |
| to/for us | nos | nos |
| to/for you all (Spain) | os | os |
| English Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| I gave it to you. | I gave it to you. |
| She sent me one. | She sent me one. |
| They showed us them. | They showed us them. |
| Can you give me one? | Can you give me one? |
Attachment
Clitic pronouns attach to infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative commands, forming a single word. They appear before conjugated verbs and negative commands. When attaching pronouns to gerunds or infinitives, accent marks may be needed to preserve the original stress.
| English Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| I want to try it. | I want to try it. |
| She told me to taste it. | She told me to taste it. |
| He gave me the recipe. | He gave me the recipe. |
| They are making it now. | They are making it now. |
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Summary
Pronoun order in Spanish typically places the indirect-object pronoun before the direct-object pronoun, with le/les changing to se when paired with lo/la/los/las. Clitic pronouns attach to infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative commands, and short forms like me, te, se, lo, and la handle tiny meaning units for recipients and objects.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025