What an indirect object is
The indirect object is the person who receives something or benefits from the action: "to whom?" or "for whom?". In Doy el libro a Juan, the book is the direct object and Juan is the indirect object.
| Person | Indirect pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (to) me | me | Ana me escribe. — Ana writes to me. |
| (to) you (tú) | te | Te doy mi número. — I'll give you my number. |
| (to) him, her, you (usted) | le | Le mando un mensaje. — I send him/her a message. |
| (to) us | nos | Nos explica la lección. — She explains the lesson to us. |
| (to) you all (vosotros, Spain) | os | ¿Os traigo algo? — Shall I bring you something? |
| (to) them, you all (ustedes) | les | Les compro regalos. — I buy them presents. |
Me, te, nos, os are the same as the direct object pronouns. Only the third person is different: le / les (not lo, la, los, las), with no gender difference.
Position is the same as for direct pronouns: before a conjugated verb, or attached to an infinitive, gerund or affirmative command: Le voy a escribir = Voy a escribir*le.*
The redundant le
Spanish usually keeps le / les even when the person is named in the same sentence. This doubling is normal, not a mistake:
- Le doy el libro a Juan. — I give Juan the book.
- Les escribo a mis padres. — I write to my parents.
- ¿Le has dicho la verdad a tu jefe? — Have you told your boss the truth?
With a mí, a ti, etc. the short pronoun is required: Me lo dice a mí.
Two pronouns together
When a sentence has both an indirect and a direct pronoun, the order is indirect + direct ("ID": person before thing):
| Sentence | With pronouns |
|---|---|
| Me das la sal. | Me la das. — You give it to me. |
| Te compro los zapatos. | Te los compro. — I buy them for you. |
| Nos envían el paquete. | Nos lo envían. — They send it to us. |
Le / les becomes se
Le or les cannot stand directly before lo, la, los, las. They change to se:
| Not possible | Correct |
|---|---|
| le lo | se lo |
| les la | se la |
| le los | se los |
- Doy el libro a Juan. → Se lo doy. — I give it to him.
- Enviamos las fotos a nuestros amigos. → Se las enviamos. — We send them to them.
- ¿Puedes explicar*le el problema?* → ¿Puedes explicár*selo?* (accent when two pronouns are attached)
Because se hides who the person is, add a él, a ella, a usted if needed: Se lo doy a ella.
Watch out as an English speaker
- English word order "give him it". ✗ Le lo doy. / ✗ Lo le doy. / ✓ Se lo doy.
- Using lo/la for people receiving something. "I tell her" is indirect. ✗ La digo la verdad. / ✓ Le digo la verdad. ✗ Lo escribo una carta. / ✓ Le escribo una carta.
- Dropping the redundant le. English never doubles the object, so learners leave le out. Doy un regalo a mi madre is grammatical but sounds stiff; ✓ Le doy un regalo a mi madre is what people say.
- "To me / for you" as full forms alone. ✗ Das a mí el libro. / ✓ Me das el libro.
Example dialogue
¿Le has dado el regalo a tu hermana? — Have you given your sister the present?
Sí, se lo di ayer. ¡Le encantó! — Yes, I gave it to her yesterday. She loved it!
¿Y las fotos de la boda? ¿Me las mandas? — And the wedding photos? Will you send them to me?
Claro, te las mando esta noche. — Of course, I'll send them to you tonight.