Object Pronouns — lo, la, le, me, te…
A2Pronouns that replace the person or thing receiving the action. Spanish splits them into direct (lo, la, los, las) and indirect (le, les), and they usually go BEFORE the verb.
Once you can build sentences, you'll want to stop repeating nouns: 'I see the book → I see it'. Those replacement words are object pronouns. Spanish has two sets, and their position is different from English.
Direct objects answer 'what?' or 'whom?' (the thing directly acted on). Indirect objects answer 'to/for whom?' (the recipient). English often hides this difference; Spanish marks it clearly.
The golden rule of position: object pronouns normally come immediately BEFORE a conjugated verb — not after it as in English.
Structure: pronoun + conjugated verb (e.g. Lo veo = I see it)
Direct object pronouns (the thing acted on)
- me = me · te = you · lo = him/it (masc.) · la = her/it (fem.)
- nos = us · os = you all · los = them (masc.) · las = them (fem.)
- lo/la/los/las must match the gender and number of the noun replaced
- ¿El libro? Lo tengo aquí. The book? I have it here. libro → lo (masculine singular)
- ¿Las llaves? No las veo. The keys? I don't see them. llaves → las (feminine plural)
Indirect object pronouns (the recipient)
These answer 'to whom / for whom'. Note le and les don't change for gender.
- me = to me · te = to you · le = to him/her/you (formal)
- nos = to us · os = to you all · les = to them/you all
- Spanish often uses BOTH the pronoun and the named person: Le doy el libro a Juan.
- Te escribo un mensaje. I'm writing you a message. te = to you (recipient)
- Le doy el regalo a mi madre. I give the gift to my mother. le AND 'a mi madre' both appear — normal in Spanish
Where the pronoun goes
Position is the part English speakers most often get wrong.
- Before a conjugated verb: Lo quiero. (I want it.)
- With an infinitive or gerund, you may attach it to the end: Quiero verlo. / Lo quiero ver. — both correct.
- Attached to affirmative commands: ¡Cómelo! (Eat it!) — but before negative ones: ¡No lo comas!
- Voy a llamarte mañana. I'm going to call you tomorrow. attached to the infinitive: llamar + te
- No la conozco. I don't know her. pronoun before the conjugated verb
Using both pronouns together (le → se)
When an indirect and a direct pronoun meet, the indirect comes first. And if both would start with l- (le lo), the indirect changes to se.
- Order: indirect + direct → Me lo das. (You give it to me.)
- le/les + lo/la/los/las → se lo/la…: Se lo doy. (I give it to him/her.)
- ¿El libro? Te lo presto. The book? I'll lend it to you. te (indirect) + lo (direct)
- Se lo digo a ella. I tell it to her. le + lo becomes se lo
Common mistakes
- ✗ Veo lo. ✓ Lo veo. The pronoun goes before the conjugated verb.
- ✗ Le lo doy. ✓ Se lo doy. le + lo always becomes se lo.
- ✗ ¿Las llaves? No los veo. ✓ No las veo. The pronoun must match gender: llaves (fem.) → las.