The correct usage of object pronouns in Spanish can be tricky for beginner or intermediate learners, however mastering them can greatly enhance your ability to communicate fluently. Without them you can find yourself needlessly repeating the same nouns in a conversation or writing, which can both impact the flow of what you are trying to say and can come across as awkward or stilted. In this guide we will look at how and when to use object pronouns and give some examples that you might use or hear in everyday conversation.

What are object pronouns?

Known as pronombres de objeto in Spanish, object pronouns are used to replace nouns, proper or otherwise, in a sentence to represent the person or thing that directly receives the action of the verb (the direct object) or for whom the verb’s action is performed (the indirect object). Direct and indirect object pronouns are distinct in Spanish, and it is important to understand the difference.

Direct object pronouns

Direct object pronouns are primarily used to avoid repeating the noun upon which a verb is acting, or when it is clear from preexisting context what the direct object is.

For example, instead of saying:

Yo quería los boletos del concierto de mi banda favorita. Por suerte mis amigos compraron los boletos ayer.  

I wanted the tickets to my favorite band’s concert. Luckily my friends bought the tickets yesterday.

You could say:

Yo quería los boletos del concierto de mi banda favorita. Por suerte mis amigos los compraron ayer.

I wanted the tickets to my favorite band's concert. Luckily my friends bought them yesterday.

The los replaces the boletos making the story sound more natural and avoiding unnecessary repetition. While the first example is not wrong, too much repetition of nouns can make speech or writing seem underdeveloped or childlike.

The direct object pronouns in Spanish are:

The object pronouns can be placed before the conjugated verbs in a sentence, such as:

Without object pronoun:                                                 With object pronoun:

Yo compré el libro. - I bought the book.                         Yo lo compré. - I bought it.

Te comiste la manzana.  - You ate the apple.                Te la comiste. - You ate it. 

El chef cocinó las carnitas. - The chef cooked the carnitas.     El chef las cocinó - The chef cooked them.

Andrés limpió la casa. - Andrés cleaned the house.      Andrés la limpió. - Andrés cleaned it.

The object pronoun can also be used as a suffix of verb infinitives, gerunds or affirmative commands:

Infinitives

Voy a comprarlo. - I'm going to buy it.

Vamos a checarlo. - We are going to check it.

Gerunds

Estoy leyéndola. I'm reading it.

Estaba escribiendola. - I was writing it.

Affirmative Commands

Hazlo. - Do it.

Cómpralo. - Buy it.

The same rules are used when the verb in question is reflexive however when using the conjugated form of the verb it is necessary to put the object pronoun before the reflexive pronoun:

Él se lo lava. - He washes it.

Nos las lavamos. - We wash them.

Alternatively you can place them as a second suffix after adding the reflexive pronoun suffix to an infinitive, gerund or affirmative command:

Prefiero decírselo. - I prefer to tell him/her.

Estaba mostrandosela. - I was showing it to them.

Dáselo. - Give it to him/her.

One of the most common uses of direct object pronouns is when answering a question, as there is usually no need to repeat the noun because the question provides the necessary context. Here are some examples you may come across:

Compraste el regalo?  - Did you buy the gift?

Sí, lo compré ayer.  - Yes, I bought it yesterday.

¿Viste la película?  - Did you see the movie?

Sí, la vi anoche. -  Yes, I saw it last night.

¿Leíste el libro? -  Did you read the book?

Sí, lo leí el fin de semana pasado. - Yes, I read it last weekend.

¿Encontraste las llaves?  - Did you find the keys?

Sí, las encontré en la mesa.  - Yes, I found them on the table.

¿Comiste la fruta? -  Did you eat the fruit?

Sí, la comí esta mañana. -  Yes, I ate it this morning.

¿Bebiste el café?  - Did you drink the coffee?

Sí, lo bebí hace un rato. - Yes, I drank it a while ago.

¿Lavaste la ropa? - Did you wash the clothes?

Sí, la lavé ayer. -  Yes, I washed them yesterday.

¿Escuchaste la música? Did you listen to the music?

Sí, la escuché en el coche. Yes, I listened to it in the car.

¿Compraste los boletos? Did you buy the tickets?

Sí, los compré en línea. Yes, I bought them online.

¿Viste las fotos? Did you see the photos?

Sí, las vi en tu teléfono. Yes, I saw them on your phone.

Indirect object pronouns

Indirect object pronouns replace the person to whom or for whom the action verb is performed. They are usually used either to avoid repetition in the same way as direct object pronouns, or to specify which person/noun in the sentence the verb is being done to. In the latter case both the indirect object pronoun and the noun are used in the sentence unless it is clear from context what or who the indirect object is, in which case the noun can be removed.

In Spanish, some of the indirect object pronouns are the same as their object pronouns, while others differ: 

The rules for indirect object pronoun placement are exactly the same as those for their direct equivalents. If a sentence contains both a direct object pronoun and an indirect object pronoun, the indirect object pronoun always goes first. 

There is also a special rule called ‘se espurio’ where the indirect object pronoun le is replaced by se if the direct object pronoun also begins with an L, such as lo, la, los or las.

This can often mean there are several different ways to say the same sentence.

The sentence ‘Juan gave James the gift.’ without replacing and nouns with object pronouns would be:

Juan le dió el regalo a James.

Note the indirect object pronoun is still used to indicate that the action is being performed for James.

As the gift is the direct object, it can be replaced with the appropriate direct object pronoun if prior context means the speaker and listener are aware of what is being discussed:

Juan se lo dió a James.

Note the way the indirect le has been replaced with se due to the direct object pronoun beginning with L being added.

Alternatively if the indirect object (James) was known by context but the direct object was not known, we can remove indirect object but retain its pronoun counterpart:

Juan le dió el regalo.

If both the direct and indirect object are known from context, we can replace both object nouns:

Juan se lo dio.

Here are some examples of common sentences which include indirect object pronouns. Can you spot the ones that also use a direct object pronoun?

María nos la preparó. - María made it for us.

Mis padres nos los compraron. - My parents bought them for us.

El mesero les la trajo. - The waiter brought it for them.

El gerente se lo ofreció. - The manager offered it to him/her.

La profesora les la asignó. - The teacher assigned it to them.

Practice Makes Perfect:

Like any other aspect of language learning, mastering object pronouns in Spanish takes practice. As you become more familiar with them, you'll find that your Spanish conversations become smoother and more natural. So, don't hesitate to practice with examples and exercises, and soon enough, using object pronouns will become second nature!

Is there another Spanish language topic that you are struggling with or would like to read an article about? Let us know at communications@naatikmexico.org. You can find our other Spanish language blogs here. 

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