Our quick-start guide to…
Indirect Object Pronouns in Spanish. #1
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5 great things about Spanish grammar
Learning a language can be a long and frustrating process. However,…
What is an indirect object pronoun?
Think of verbs like ‘throw’ and send’. We always throw or send SOMETHING (a ball, an email…). In grammar terms, this ‘something’ is the direct object of the verb. Now, if our email is sent to SOMEONE, or our ball is thrown to SOMEONE (we didn’t just chuck it out the window in a fit of rage), this someone is the INDIRECT object.
The indirect object can be described as the receptor of the direct object.
Sounds simple? And it is. However, there is one aspect of Spanish indirect objects which is difficult for us little old English-speakers to get our heads around. More on that, below…
Spanish indirect object pronouns
In English the indirect object pronouns are the same as the direct object pronouns :
Me, You, Him, Her, It, Us, You, Them.
In Spanish, the two groups of pronouns are also very similar, but they are NOT EXACTLY THE SAME. In Spanish the indirect object pronouns are:
| Me | Me |
| Te | You (singular, informal) |
| Le, Se* | You (singular, formal) |
| Le, Se* | Him, her, it |
| Nos | Us |
| Os | You (plural, informal) |
| Les, Se* | You (plural, formal) |
| Les, Se* | Them |
*In this list, the pronoun ‘se’ is very much the joker-in-the-pack, as we’ll explain on the next page. But first, some examples:
Example phrases with indirect object pronouns
In all of the following phrases we use the pronoun for the first person singular (me):
- Sarah me dio tu camiseta.
Sarah gave me your t-shirt. - ¡No me has dicho la verdad!
You haven’t told me the truth! - Me han dicho todo.
They’ve told me everything. - No me querían contar nada.
They didn’t want to tell me anything.
Word order – Pay attention!
Did you notice how the Spanish indirect pronoun goes before the verb? In tenses which require an auxiliary verb, then the indirect pronoun goes before that auxiliary verb:
Me han dicho la verdad.
No me has dicho la verdad.
Indirect object pronouns v nouns
The indirect object pronoun does not have the same position as a noun or proper name in Spanish. This can also happen in English, so don’t get all moody about it!
- Yo mandé una carta a Sarah.
I sent a letter to Sarah. - Yo le mandé una carta.
I sent her a letter.
Notice how the position of the indirect object pronoun ‘le’ is not the same as the position of the name ‘Sarah’. Here’s another example:
- Yo di todo mi dinero a los bancos.
I gave all my money to the banks. - Yo les di todo mi dinero.
I gave them all my money.
Easy? Now comes the complicated part
More grammar classes
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