The main rule
Me, te, le, nos, os, les say who receives or benefits: Le doy el libro. Two pronouns: the indirect comes first (Te lo doy), and le / les before lo, la, los, las turns into se (Se lo doy). Pronouns go before the conjugated verb (Se lo he dado), or attached to the end of an infinitive or gerund (Voy a dártelo).
The indirect object pronouns
| Who receives | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| me | me | Me escribe un correo. |
| you (tú) | te | Te doy la llave. |
| him, her, you (usted) | le | Le doy el libro a Ana. |
| us | nos | Nos trae el pan. |
| you (vosotros, Spain) | os | Os compro un regalo. |
| them, you all (ustedes) | les | Les escribo un correo. |
What is different from English
English has two shapes: "give him the book" and "give the book to him". Spanish has one: Le doy el libro, with the pronoun in front of the verb. English puts the pronoun after the verb, hence *Doy le el libro.
English also never repeats the person. Spanish does: Le escribo a mi madre means "I write to my mother", and the le is not extra.
And English "give it to him" has no special form, while Spanish has one: Se lo doy. Never *Le lo doy.
Le or lo: who receives, what is received
Le is the person who receives; lo, la, los, las are the thing. ¿El libro? Lo tengo. (the thing) but Le doy el libro a Ana. (the person). A woman as a direct object is still la: La veo (I see her), but Le doy el libro (I give her the book).
Doubling with a + person
When the receiver is named, Spanish usually adds a + person and keeps the pronoun: Le escribo a mi madre, Les compro regalos a mis hijos. After the verb, a noun alone is also possible (Escribo una carta a mi madre), but the pronoun is the usual choice.
The pronoun is required with a él, a ella, a usted and when the a + person comes first: Le doy el libro a él, A mi abuela le compro flores. Never *Doy el libro a él, never *A mi abuela compro flores.
Two pronouns and se lo
With two pronouns, the one for the person comes first, then the thing: Te lo doy, Me la envió, Nos los trae.
| Instead of | Say | Example |
|---|---|---|
| *le lo | se lo | ¿El libro? Se lo doy a Ana. |
| *le la | se la | ¿La carta? Se la escribo a Pablo. |
| *les los | se los | ¿Los libros? Se los doy a mis padres. |
| *les las | se las | ¿Las flores? Se las compro a mis tías. |
Se here is not the reflexive se: it is le / les in disguise, because Spanish avoids two words beginning with l. Se does not show who: Se lo doy can be "to him", "to her", "to you" or "to them". Add a él, a ella, a usted, a ellos when it matters: Se lo doy a ella.
Where the pronouns go
Before the conjugated verb: Te lo doy, No se lo digo. With the perfecto, before haber, and nothing comes between: Se lo he dado, No te lo he dicho. No comes in front of them, and nothing goes between haber and the participle: *He se lo dado is wrong.
With ir a, tener que and estar + gerund, two places are equally correct: Te lo voy a dar / Voy a dártelo, Se la estoy escribiendo / Estoy escribiéndosela. Not both at once: *Te lo voy a dártelo.
Attached pronouns can add a written accent: the stress stays on the same syllable of the verb, and the longer word needs the mark to show it. One pronoun after an infinitive needs none (darle, escribirle, comprarte); two pronouns do (dártelo, dárselo, devolvérselo). After a gerund even one pronoun needs it (dándole, escribiéndole).
Examples
- Le doy el libro a Ana. I give Ana the book.
- Les escribo un correo a mis padres. I write an email to my parents.
- Te lo doy mañana. I'll give it to you tomorrow.
- ¿La carta? Me la envió Elena ayer. The letter? Elena sent it to me yesterday.
- ¿Los libros? Nos los trae Pablo el lunes. The books? Pablo brings them to us on Monday.
- ¿El libro? Se lo di a Marta ayer. The book? I gave it to Marta yesterday.
- Todavía no se lo he dicho a mi hermano. I haven't told my brother yet.
- Te lo voy a dar. / Voy a dártelo. I'm going to give it to you.
- ¿La carta? Se la estoy escribiendo a mi abuela. / Estoy escribiéndosela a mi abuela. The letter? I'm writing it to my grandmother.
- No te lo he dicho. I haven't told you that.
Se lo or se los in Latin America
In much of Latin America people say Se los di for "I gave it to them" when the receivers are plural, even if the thing is singular. In Spain and in careful writing it is Se lo di a mis padres.
Common mistakes
Doy le el libro.Le doy el libro. the pronoun goes before the verbLe lo doy.Se lo doy. le + lo becomes se loLo te doy.Te lo doy. the person comes first, then the thingLes la envío.Se la envío. les + la becomes se laVoy a te lo dar.Te lo voy a dar. / Voy a dártelo. before the first verb, or attached to the infinitiveTe lo voy a dártelo.Te lo voy a dar. one place only, not bothLa di un regalo a Ana.Le di un regalo a Ana. laísmo: the person who receives is leDoy el libro a él.Le doy el libro a él. a él needs the pronoun
Frequently asked questions
What is se lo in Spanish?
Se lo (se la, se los, se las) is "it to him, to her, to you or to them". It is le / les + lo / la / los / las, with le / les changed to se: Se lo doy.
What is the difference between le and lo?
Le is the person who receives, lo the thing: Le doy el libro (to her) but Lo tengo (the book). When both appear, the person comes first: Se lo doy.
Why do I say le and a María together?
Spanish keeps the pronoun and adds a + person: Le escribo a María. The a María says who, and le marks the indirect object. With a él, a ella or when a + person comes first, the pronoun is required.
In what order do two object pronouns go?
Indirect first, then direct: Te lo doy, Me la envió, Nos los trae. With le / les + lo, the indirect becomes se: Se lo doy.
Where does the pronoun go with an infinitive?
Before the first verb or attached to the infinitive, both correct: Te lo voy a dar / Voy a dártelo. With a gerund the same: Se la estoy escribiendo / Estoy escribiéndosela.
Why does dárselo have an accent?
The stress stays on dar-, which is now the third syllable from the end, and such words always take a written accent: dárselo. With one pronoun the stress is second from the end, so there is none: darle.