Object Pronouns in Spanish

Los pronombres de complemento

Object pronouns replace nouns that receive the action of a verb. Spanish has direct object pronouns (what/whom) and indirect object pronouns (to/for whom). They are placed before conjugated verbs or attached to infinitives and gerunds.

Example: Veo el libro → Lo veo (I see it)

Types of Object Pronouns

Direct objects receive the action directly; indirect objects receive it indirectly.

Type	Example	Translation
Direct	Lo veo.	I see it/him.
Indirect	Le hablo.	I speak to him/her.
Both	Se lo doy.	I give it to him/her.
With infinitive	Voy a verlo.	I'm going to see it/him.

Pronoun Placement

Object pronouns have specific placement rules depending on the verb form.

Before conjugated verbs
Attached to infinitives (optional: before conjugated verb in verb phrase)
Attached to gerunds (optional: before conjugated verb in progressive)
Attached to affirmative commands
Before negative commands

Common Learner Questions

Helpful questions when using object pronouns:

What/whom receives the action directly? (direct object)
To/for whom is the action done? (indirect object)
Where does the pronoun go in relation to the verb?
Am I using two pronouns together?
Do I need to change le/les to se?
Should I add clarification (a él, a ella, etc.)?

Example Sentences

Lo veo todos los días.I see it/him every day.

Te doy el libro.I give you the book.

Me lo explica bien.He/she explains it to me well.

Se la voy a dar a ella.I'm going to give it to her.

Estoy escribiéndole una carta.I am writing him/her a letter.

Direct Object Pronouns

Replace the direct object (the thing or person directly receiving the action).

Pronoun	Meaning	Example
me	me	Me ves.
te	you (informal)	Te veo.
lo	him/it (masc)/you (formal masc)	Lo veo.
la	her/it (fem)/you (formal fem)	La veo.
nos	us	Nos ven.
os	you all (informal)	Os veo.
los	them (masc)/you all (formal masc)	Los veo.
las	them (fem)/you all (formal fem)	Las veo.

Answer '¿Qué?' (what?) or '¿A quién?' (whom?)
Go before conjugated verbs
Can attach to infinitives and gerunds
Must match gender and number of noun replaced

Lo veo.I see it.type: Conjugated verb

Voy a verlo.I'm going to see it.type: Infinitive (attached)

Lo voy a ver.I'm going to see it.type: Infinitive (before)

Estoy viéndolo.I am seeing it.type: Gerund (attached)

Lo estoy viendo.I am seeing it.type: Gerund (before)

¡Cómelo!Eat it!type: Affirmative command

¡No lo comas!Don't eat it!type: Negative command

Clarifying 'Se'

Since 'se' can mean multiple things, clarification is often added.

Le/Les Changes to Se

When le or les comes before lo/la/los/las, it changes to 'se'.

Using Two Object Pronouns Together

When using both direct and indirect object pronouns, they follow a specific order.

Structure	Example	Translation
me + lo/la/los/las	Me lo da.	He gives it to me.
te + lo/la/los/las	Te la doy.	I give it to you.
nos + lo/la/los/las	Nos los dan.	They give them to us.
With infinitive	Voy a dártelo.	I'm going to give it to you.
Before verb	Te lo voy a dar.	I'm going to give it to you.

Indirect object pronoun comes first
Then direct object pronoun
Both go before verb or both attach to infinitive/gerund
Order: IOP + DOP + verb

Indirect Object Pronouns

Replace the indirect object (to whom or for whom the action is done).

Pronoun	Meaning	Example
me	to/for me	Me habla.
te	to/for you (informal)	Te doy el libro.
le	to/for him/her/you (formal)	Le escribo.
nos	to/for us	Nos dice la verdad.
os	to/for you all (informal)	Os doy las llaves.
les	to/for them/you all (formal)	Les hablo.

Answer '¿A quién?' or '¿Para quién?'
Go before conjugated verbs
Can attach to infinitives and gerunds
Often used with verbs like dar, decir, escribir, hablar

Se lo doy a él.I give it to him.type: To him

Se lo doy a ella.I give it to her.type: To her

Se lo doy a usted.I give it to you.type: To you (formal)

Se lo doy a ellos.I give it to them.type: To them

Se lo doy a ustedes.I give it to you all.type: To you all

Se lo doy.I give it to him/her/you.incorrect: Le lo doy.

Se la doy.I give it to them/you all.incorrect: Les la doy.

Se los doy.I give them to him/her/you.incorrect: Le los doy.

Se las doy.I give them to them/you all.incorrect: Les las doy.