Indirect Object Pronouns

Indirect object pronouns show to whom or for whom an action is done, and they commonly appear in sentences that mention giving, telling, or showing. This guide covers each pronoun and how to use them.

Indirect Object Pronouns

The basic indirect object pronouns in Spanish replace or accompany phrases introduced by a when indicating the recipient of an action.

Spanish Word(s)	English Word(s)
me	me
te	you (informal)
le	him, her, you (formal)
nos	us
os	you (plural, Spain)
les	them, you (plural)

Spanish Example	English Translation
☝️ Me das la carta.	You give me the letter.
✋ Te envío un paquete.	I send you a package.
👌 Le compré un libro.	I bought him/her a book.
✌️ Nos trajeron flores.	They brought us flowers.
👍 Os mandé un mensaje.	I sent you (plural) a message.
👏 Les di las entradas.	I gave them the tickets.

Placement

Indirect object pronouns normally appear before a conjugated verb, or they attach to an infinitive, gerund, or affirmative command, maintaining the sentence's clarity.

Spanish Example	English Translation	Note
📝 Te voy a escribir mañana.	I am going to write to you tomorrow.	Before conjugated verb
📩 Voy a escribirte mañana.	I am going to write to you tomorrow.	Attached to infinitive
📬 Estoy preparándote la carta.	I am preparing the letter for you.	Before conjugated verb with gerund
📨 Estoy preparándote la carta.	I am preparing the letter for you.	Attached to gerund
🗒️ Quiero dártelo hoy.	I want to give it to you today.	Attached to infinitive with object pronoun
🖊️ Te lo quiero dar hoy.	I want to give it to you today.	Before conjugated verb with object pronoun

Double Object Pronouns

When both indirect and direct object pronouns appear, the indirect pronoun normally comes first; if the indirect pronoun is le or les and is followed by a direct pronoun that begins with l, le/les changes to se to avoid the tongue-twister.

Indirect Object Pronoun	Direct Object Pronoun
me	lo / la / los / las
te	lo / la / los / las
se (le/les)	lo / la / los / las
nos	lo / la / los / las
os	lo / la / los / las

Spanish Example	English Translation	Note
📨 Se lo escribí ayer.	I wrote it to him/her yesterday.	Le lo → se lo
📧 Se la enviaron por correo.	They sent it to him/her by mail.	Le la → se la
📬 Se los di esta mañana.	I gave them to him/her this morning.	Plural objects
📝 Se nos adelantó con las cartas.	He got ahead of us with the letters.	Indirect + inclusive nos
🗃️ Se te quedó un mensaje.	You left a message behind.	Indirect + informal te

Adding Clarification

Sometimes the indirect object pronoun is accompanied by a phrase like a + noun/person to emphasize or clarify the recipient, which is especially helpful when both le and les could apply.

Spanish Example	English Translation	Note
📨 Les di, a ellos, las invitaciones.	I gave them, to them, the invitations.	Clarification after verb
🗣️ Se lo expliqué a ella en persona.	I explained it to her in person.	Clarification with se lo
👥 Te lo digo a ti para que lo sepas.	I’m telling it to you so you know.	Clarification with te lo
📨 Le mandé una copia a mi jefe.	I sent a copy to my boss.	Clarification with noun phrase
📝 Voy a escribirles a los vecinos.	I’m going to write to the neighbors.	Clarification after verb

Dative of Interest

In certain sentences, an indirect object pronoun adds nuance by indicating who benefits or is affected by an action, even if there is no explicit recipient, which is known as the dative of interest or ethical dative.

Spanish Example	English Translation	Note
🍵 Me preparó un café.	He made me a coffee.	Benefactive
🥐 Te compré croissants.	I bought you croissants.	Benefactive
🧾 Le arreglaron la cuenta.	They fixed his/her bill.	Dative of interest
🗝️ Nos guardaron las llaves.	They kept the keys for us.	Dative of interest
📦 Les enviaron el paquete a casa.	They sent the package to their house.	Dative of interest

Summary

Indirect object pronouns streamline sentences by marking to whom or for whom an action is done; learn the basic pronouns, practice placement, and watch for se replacements when double object pronouns appear.

Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025