B1 · Pronouns · Part 3 of 3
Los dos juntos: se lo
Se lo di is the point where the two sets meet, and where most learners stall. There are only two rules: person before thing, and le becomes se in front of lo, la, los, las. Everything else you already know.
Person first, thing second
The order never varies, and it is the opposite of the English one.
| Full sentence | With both pronouns |
|---|---|
| Me dio el libro | Me lo dio |
| Te escribí la carta | Te la escribí |
| Nos contó los planes | Nos los contó |
| Me prestó las llaves | Me las prestó |
Le and les become se
Spanish does not allow le lo or les las: two words starting with l collide, so the first becomes se. This se has nothing to do with reflexive verbs; it is only a change of sound.
- Le di el libro. → Se lo di.I gave him the book. → I gave it to him.
- Les conté la verdad. → Se la conté.I told them the truth. → I told it to them.
Se lo hides who
Because se covers him, her, them and you, the a phrase does the work the pronoun no longer can.
- Se lo di a Marta.I gave it to Marta.
- Se lo expliqué a mis alumnos.I explained it to my students.
Both attach together
With an infinitive, a gerund or an affirmative command they attach to the end as one block, and the written accent appears because the stress has moved.
| Before the verb | Attached |
|---|---|
| Te lo voy a explicar | Voy a explicártelo |
| Me lo está diciendo | Está diciéndomelo |
| — | Dámelo |
| No me lo des | — |
The order in practice
Read the block left to right: se or the person, then the thing, then the verb.
- ¿El dinero? Se lo devolví ayer.The money? I gave it back to him yesterday.
- ¿Las fotos? Te las mando esta noche.The photos? I will send them to you tonight.
Mistakes to avoid
Le lo di.
Se lo di.
Le becomes se in front of lo.
Lo me dio.
Me lo dio.
The person always comes first.
Voy a te lo explicar.
Voy a explicártelo. / Te lo voy a explicar.
The pair never splits, and it never sits between the two verbs.
Damelo sin tilde.
Dámelo.
Two attached pronouns move the stress, so the accent is written.
Try it
¿El libro? ___ di a Marta ayer.
¿Las fotos? ___ mando esta noche.
Voy a ___.
¿La verdad? ___ conté a mis padres.
—¿Me prestas el carro? —Ya ___ presté la semana pasada.