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Object pronouns
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Object pronouns

Direct object pronouns

A direct object is an object that directly receives the action of the verb:

  • Ellos leyeron el libro. (They read the book.)
  • Escondí el regalo. (I hid the present.)

Direct objects can be replaced by the following direct object pronouns, which agree in number and gender with the noun they replace:

  • me
  • nos
  • te
  • os
  • lo, la*
  • los, las* 

    * In Spain the third person direct object pronouns, when they refer to persons, are typically le (sing.) and les (pl.).

Some examples of the direct object pronoun in use:

  • downtown.)
  • Ellos lo robaron. (They robbed it.)
  • ¿Las rompiste? (Did you break them?)

The reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos, os, se) often function as direct objects as well. For a fuller explanation, see below, but for the moment, notice how these pronouns also can directly receive the action of the verb.

  • Ellos se bañaron. [They bathed (themselves)].
  • Ellos se vieron. [They saw (themselves)].

Different from English, direct object pronouns in Spanish usually precede the verb. There are, however, a number of important exceptions to this rule of thumb where the pronoun is attached to the end of the verb. (See placement of pronouns.)

Indirect object pronouns

An indirect object, as its name implies, indirectly receives the action of the verb and is also an object of the preposition to or for.

  • Ya mandé el paquete a Arturo. [I already sent (to) Arturo the package.]
  • No quiere enseñar el coche a sus hermanos. [He doesn't want to show (to) his brothers the car.]

Indirect objects can be replaced by the following indirect object pronouns, which agree in number with the noun they replace. They are different from the direct object pronouns only in the third person singular and plural forms:

  • me
  • nos
  • te
  • os
  • le
  • les

Some examples of the indirect object pronoun in use:

  • Me gusta. (I like it. / It is pleasing to me.)
  • Ellos me hicieron una pregunta. (They asked me a question.)
  • Ya les avisé. (I already advised/told them.)

A verb used reflexively / reciprocally can also have an indirect object pronoun:

  • Ella se dio un aumento de sueldo. (She gave herself a raise.)
  • Se dijeron que era unjusto. (They told themselves that it was unjust.)

As with direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns in Spanish usually precede the verb. There are, however, a number of important exceptions to this rule of thumb where the pronoun is attached to the end of the verb. (See placement of pronouns.)

Reflexive pronouns

Reflexive pronouns are used with reciprocal and reflexive verbs, and with certain pronominal verbs. The forms are:

  • me
  • te
  • se
  • nos
  • os
  • se

They agree in person with the subject of the verb and may be either direct or indirect objects, depending on the verbs with which they are used. In in value one normally associates with the reflexive. The following sentences are examples of these three uses:

Reciprocal:
Ellos se besaron. [They kissed (each other.)]

Reflexive:

Me levanté y me lavé. [I got (myself) up and washed (myself)].

Pronominal:

¿Te atreves a desafiarme? (Do you dare to defy me?)

As with direct and indirect object pronouns, reflexive pronouns in Spanish usually precede the verb. There are, however, a number of important exceptions to this rule of thumb where the pronoun is attached to the end of the verb. (See placement of pronouns.)

Objects of the preposition

Apart from the first and second persons singular, these objects have the same form as subject pronouns.

  • mí
  • ti
  • él, ella, usted
  • nosotros, nosotras
  • vosotros, vosotras
  • ellos, ellas, ustedes

    Examples:

  • El trabajo es para ti.
  • Lo hicieron por ella.
  • Siempre lo traigo conmigo.*

    *The preposition con contracts with mí and ti to form conmigo and contigo, respectively.

See Reflexive objects of the preposition and Prepositions.

Reflexive objects of the preposition

  • mí
  • ti
  • sí
  • nosotros, nosotras
  • vosotros, vosotras
  • sí

Reflexive objects of the preposition follow the preposition and in the case of con combine with mí, ti and sí to form conmigo, contigo and consigo, respectively.

  • Lo traje conmigo.
  • Los llevaron consigo.

Placement of direct and indirect object pronouns

Pre-position of direct object pronoun (with most verbs).

  • Él me conoce bien. (He knows me well.)
  • Yo te veo en el espejo. (I see you in the mirror.)
  • Ellos nos llevaron al cine. (They took us to the movies.)
  • Las escribí ayer. (I wrote them yesterday.)
  • No lo comas ahora. (Don't eat it now.)
  • No se lo digas. (Don't tell (it to) him.) (See multiple pronouns)

Post-position of direct object pronoun (with affirmative commands, infinitives,* and present participles, or gerunds).

  • Ábrelas, por favor. (Open them please.) (But: No las abre.)
  • Ciérrenlos. (Close them.)
  • Quieren hacerlo hoy.* (They want to do it today.)
  • ¿Quieres repetirlo? (Will you repeat it?)
  • Ya estoy pintándolo. (I am already painting it.)
  • ¿Estás escuchándolo? (Are you listening to it?)
  • Díselo. [Don't tell (it to) him.] (See multiple pronouns)

    *In the progressive tenses and when an infinitive is used in conjunction with another verb such as ir or estar, the speaker also has the option of placing the pronoun before the verb sequence. That is, either of the following pairs of pronoun placement is correct:
    • Están escribiéndosela ahora. (They're writing it now.)
    • Se la están escribiendo ahora. (They're writing it now.)
    • Voy a decírtelo ahora mismo. (I'm going to tell you right now.)
    • Te lo voy a decir ahora mismo. (I'm going to tell you right now.)

Notice how in most of the preceding cases of post-position placement an accent mark must be added to preserve the original

Multiple pronouns

Frequently one may find two object pronouns associated with a single verb. The rules for placement of multiple object pronouns are:

A. Multiple object pronouns occur as indirect object and direct object pairs. The indirect object pronoun always precedes the direct object pronoun, and the reflexive pronoun always precedes them all. When following a verb the two pronouns are joined and attached to the verb.

  • Me lo hace a menudo.
  • Nos lo dijeron a tiempo.
  • Se me escapó.
  • ¿No quieres hacérnoslo?
  • Pregúntamelo si quieres.

B. The placement of multiple object pronouns is the same as the placement of individual object pronouns.

  • Te las doy para tu cumpleaños. (Precede most verbs.)
  • Dámelas ahora. / No me las des ahora. (Attached to affirmative commands.)
  • Quiere contármelo. (Attached to infinitives.)
  • Está escribiéndonosla. (Attached to present participles.)

C. When both object pronouns occur in juxtaposition and begin with the letter "L," the first one becomes se.

  • Dáselo. (le/les + lo = selo)

D. When one object pronoun is attached to the end of an affirmative command, an infinitive, or a present participle, a written accent mark is often added to the stressed syllable in order to preserve that stress, e.g. acuérdate (ponte). When two object pronouns are attached to a verb, a written accent mark must always be added to the póntelo.

See also

Direct object pronouns
Indirect object pronouns
Reflexive verbs
Personal pronoun chart