The main rule
Lo, la, los, las replace a direct object we already know and agree with it in gender and number: el libro > lo, la mesa > la, los libros > los, las mesas > las. They go before the conjugated verb: Lo compro, No la veo, Ya lo he leído.
The pronouns: me, te, lo, la, nos, os, los, las
| Object | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| me | me | ¿Me ves? Sí, te veo. |
| you (tú) | te | Te llamo mañana. |
| him, it (masculine) | lo | ¿El libro? Lo tengo. |
| her, it (feminine) | la | ¿Marta? La veo. |
| us | nos | Nos esperan en la puerta. |
| you (vosotros, Spain) | os | Os veo mañana. |
| them (masculine or mixed) | los | ¿Los libros? Los tengo. |
| them (feminine) | las | ¿Las llaves? Las tengo. |
Me, te, nos, os do not change: they are the same for a man and a woman. Only the third person has gender. In Latin America you use los (or las) for "you all" instead of os.
Things and people
Lo, la, los, las work for things and for people. The pronoun takes the gender and number of the Spanish noun, not of anything else: la mesa > la, el coche > lo. With a person, the personal a disappears when the pronoun appears: Veo a Marta > La veo. The pronoun stands in for the whole a Marta.
Where the pronoun goes
The pronoun is a separate word right before the conjugated verb. No goes in front of both: No la veo, not *La no veo. In a question the pronoun still stands next to the verb: ¿Lo compraste? With the perfecto, it goes before haber, and nothing comes between them: Ya lo he leído.
With ir a, tener que and estar + gerund, the pronoun has two equal places. Before the first verb: La voy a comprar, Lo tengo que hacer, Lo estoy leyendo. Or attached to the end of the infinitive or the gerund, as one word: Voy a comprarla, Tengo que hacerlo, Estoy leyéndolo. Both are correct. A gerund with a pronoun gets a written accent: leyendo > leyéndolo, comprando > comprándola.
What is different from English
English puts "it" and "them" after the verb ("I see it", "I bought them"). Spanish puts them before it: Lo veo, Las compré. Forms like *Veo lo and *Compré la are the typical mistake. With an infinitive, the pronoun is not a separate word after it: *Voy a comprar la is wrong, Voy a comprarla is right.
Spanish "it" has a gender, because every noun does: la mesa is la, el libro is lo. And where English repeats the noun or says "it", Spanish uses the pronoun and does not drop it: ¿Tienes el libro? Sí, lo tengo (not *Sí, tengo).
Neuter lo: an idea, not a noun
Lo also stands for an idea, a fact or a whole sentence, with no gender. It is the "it" of "I know it" and "I don't understand it": Lo sé, No lo entiendo, ¿Sabes que Ana tiene un gato? Sí, lo sé.
A fronted object is repeated
When you put the object first for emphasis, Spanish repeats it with the pronoun: El libro lo tengo yo, La pizza la compro yo. This is normal, not a mistake. Indirect objects (le, les) and se lo come in the next topic.
Examples
- ¿El pan? Lo compro yo. The bread? I'll buy it.
- ¿Ves a Marta? Sí, la veo. Do you see Marta? Yes, I see her.
- No la veo en la foto. I can't see her in the photo.
- Ya lo he leído. I have already read it.
- ¿Lo compraste ayer? Did you buy it yesterday?
- La voy a comprar mañana. / Voy a comprarla mañana. I'm going to buy it tomorrow.
- Lo estoy leyendo. / Estoy leyéndolo. I'm reading it.
- ¿Las llaves? Las tengo en el bolso. The keys? I have them in my bag.
- ¿Me oyes bien? Sí, te oigo. Can you hear me? Yes, I can hear you.
- No lo entiendo. I don't understand it.
Leísmo: le for a man
In Spain, many speakers use le instead of lo for a male person: A Pedro le veo, ¿Conoces a Pedro? Sí, le conozco. This is accepted. Lo is correct everywhere, so use lo. For things and for women the pronoun is always lo or la.
Common mistakes
Veo lo.Lo veo. the pronoun goes before the verbCompré la.La compré. not after the verb¿La mesa? Lo compro.¿La mesa? La compro. the gender is that of the noun¿Tienes el libro? Sí, tengo.¿Tienes el libro? Sí, lo tengo. Spanish keeps the pronounVoy a comprar la.Voy a comprarla. / La voy a comprar. attach it or move it in frontVoy a la comprar.La voy a comprar. not between a and the infinitiveLo voy a comprarlo.Lo voy a comprar. one pronoun, not two
Frequently asked questions
What do lo, la, los, las mean in Spanish?
They are direct object pronouns: "him, her, it, them". They replace an object we already know and agree with it: el libro > lo, las llaves > las.
What are the direct object pronouns in Spanish?
Me, te, lo / la, nos, os, los / las. Only the third person (lo, la, los, las) shows gender; me, te, nos, os do not change.
Where does the object pronoun go in a Spanish sentence?
Before the conjugated verb: Lo compro, No la veo, Ya lo he leído. With an infinitive or a gerund it can also be attached to the end: Voy a comprarla, Estoy leyéndolo.
How do I say "I know it" or "I don't understand it" in Spanish?
With neuter lo, which stands for an idea or a whole sentence: Lo sé, No lo entiendo.
Do I use a with the pronoun?
The personal a goes away when the pronoun replaces the person: Veo a Marta > La veo. The pronoun already stands for the whole a Marta.
Is le correct instead of lo for a man?
In Spain, le for a male person is accepted (A Pedro le veo). Lo is correct everywhere, so it is the safe choice, and it is the only choice for things.