Spanish
Spanish object pronouns: lo, la, le and the rest
Once a noun is on the table, Spanish would rather not repeat it. Object pronouns stand in for it, lo, la, le and their plurals. The work is telling the direct ones from the indirect ones and knowing where they sit.
They stand in for a noun
An object pronoun replaces a noun you have already mentioned, so you name it once and then point back to it.
¿Ves el libro? Sí, lo veo.Do you see the book? Yes, I see it. (lo = el libro)
¿Llamas a María? Sí, la llamo.Are you calling María? Yes, I am calling her.
Direct or indirect
A direct object is the thing the action lands on, while an indirect object is the person it is done for or given to.
Direct (what)me te lo la nos os los las
- lo veo: I see it
- la compro: I buy it
- los tengo: I have them
Indirect (to whom)me te le nos os les
- le hablo: I talk to him
- les doy: I give to them
- me gusta: it pleases me
Where they go
Lo quiero.I want it. (before a conjugated verb)
Voy a hacerlo = lo voy a hacer.I am going to do it. (attach to the infinitive, or move it up front)
¡Házlo!Do it! (attached to a command)
Two pronouns, and le turns to se
When an indirect le or les meets a direct lo, la, los, las, the indirect one turns into se, so you say se lo where you might expect le lo.
Se lo doy.I give it to him. (le + lo becomes se lo)
Which pronoun, and where it lands, is a fast decision you make mid-sentence, so it has to be automatic. Verboteca drills these in short example sentences until the right pronoun and its position stop needing a second thought.