A2 · Pronouns
Me, te, le, lo, la
Small words that stand in for whole phrases so you do not repeat them. What makes them hard is not the meaning but the position: Spanish puts them in front of the verb, which is the reverse of English, and it puts two of them together in a fixed order.
The two sets
| Person | Direct (the thing) | Indirect (the person) |
|---|---|---|
| yo | me | me |
| tú | te | te |
| él / ella / usted | lo / la | le |
| nosotros | nos | nos |
| ellos / ustedes | los / las | les |
Where they go
Before a conjugated verb. With an infinitive or a gerund you may attach them to the end instead, and both orders are correct.
- Lo llevo yo.I am bringing it.
- Te voy a llamar.I am going to call you.
- Voy a llamarte.I am going to call you. · same thing
- No le respondí nada.I did not answer him anything.
Both together
Indirect first, then direct. And le or les turns into se in front of lo, la, los, las.
- Me lo dio ayer.He gave it to me yesterday.
- Se lo dije.I told him. · not le lo
Direct or indirect
The direct object is what the verb acts on; the indirect object is who benefits or receives. In English the difference is invisible because both are him. In Spanish it is lo against le, and getting it wrong changes the sentence.
- Lo vi ayer.I saw him yesterday. · he is what I saw
- Le di el libro.I gave him the book. · he is who received it
Why the pronoun turns up even when the person is named
Spanish routinely doubles the indirect object: it names the person and uses the pronoun in the same sentence. A Marta le di el libro is not redundant, it is normal, and leaving out le sounds wrong.
- A Marta le di el libro.I gave Marta the book.
- A mis padres les gusta viajar.My parents like travelling.
Regional variation you will hear
In much of Spain le is used for a masculine person where Latin America uses lo. Both are accepted; le for people is called leísmo. Learners are safest with lo, which is correct everywhere.
- Lo vi en el mercado.I saw him at the market. · Latin America and standard
- Le vi en el mercado.I saw him at the market. · much of Spain
When the accent appears
Attaching pronouns to the end of a word can shift the stress, and Spanish then writes the accent that was always pronounced. Dame becomes dámelo; comprando becomes comprándolo.
- Dime la verdad.Tell me the truth.
- Dímela.Tell it to me. · two pronouns, accent appears
- Está explicándomelo.He is explaining it to me.
Examples
- Me costó veinticinco soles.It cost me twenty-five soles.
- La mujer me entrevistó.The woman interviewed me.
- No le respondí nada.I did not answer him anything.
- ¿El postre? Lo llevo yo.The dessert? I am bringing it.
Mistakes to avoid
Yo llamo te mañana.
Yo te llamo mañana.
The pronoun goes before the verb.
Le lo dije.
Se lo dije.
Le becomes se in front of lo.
Vi le en el mercado.
Lo vi en el mercado.
Seeing someone takes the direct pronoun.
Watch out
With an infinitive or a gerund the pronoun can attach to the end: voy a llamarte or te voy a llamar. Both are correct.
Try it
¿El postre? ___ llevo yo.
El taxi ___ costó veinticinco soles.
¿Las llaves? No ___ encuentro.
Quiero decir___ algo.
A Marta ___ di el libro.
Dime la verdad → ___.