Using Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns together
Now that you’ve learned about direct and indirect object pronouns, what happens if you want to use them together?
The sentences that follow are examples of both object pronouns being used together. The direct object is in blue, while the indirect object is red.
- ¿Te los da Héctor? "Does Hector give them to you?"
- Ellos nos lo piden. "They ask us for it."
- Necesito dárselo mañana. "I need to give it to him tomorrow."
To refresh your memory, the direct and indirect object pronouns that you will use in combination are as follows:
| Direct | Indirect | English |
|---|---|---|
| me | me | "me" |
| te | te | "you" |
| lo | le | "you (formal)" / "him" |
| la | le | "you (fem.; formal) / "her" |
| nos | nos | "us" |
| os | os | "you (plural; Spain)" |
| los | les | "you (plural)" / "them" |
| las | les | "you (fem.; plural)" / "them (fem.)" |
When you combine the direct and indirect object pronouns in a sentence, you have two options:
- You can put the indirect object pronoun, followed by the direct object pronoun, as two separate words before the verb. For example: Te lo voy a dar. "(I) am going to give it to you."
- You can attach the indirect object pronoun and the direct object pronoun onto the end of an infinitive. For example: Voy a dártelo. "(I) am going to give it to you."
Note that you must add an accent on the infinitive ending to preserve the correct pronunciation.
Which Object Comes First?
In English, you can switch the order of the direct and indirect objects. For example:
- I will give it to him.
- I will give him it.
- Hector gave them to you.
- Hector gave you them.
In Spanish, on the other hand, the indirect object pronoun will ALWAYS come before the direct object pronoun.
Por ejemplo:
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Why Does LE Change to SE?
As with so many irregularities in the Spanish language, the change of the indirect object pronoun in the third person makes pronunciation easier.
Try saying: Le lo voy a dar.
Now, try saying: Se lo voy a dar.
Both of which mean: "I am going to give it to him." Can you hear why le changes to se?
Por ejemplo:
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To Whom? Clarifying SE
The word se can refer to any number of indirect pronouns: him, her, it, them, you…. Just as it is recommended to add a clarification after le, if your audience does not know to whom you are referring, it is also recommended to add a clarification after the use of se if the indirect object is not clear.
To do so, use se as you normally would, then append one of the following to the end of your sentence:
- a usted
- a él
- a ella
- a ustedes
- a ellos
- a ellas
Looking for more? Here are more lessons on Spanish pronouns:
- The construction of the Spanish direct object pronouns
- What happens when you put Spanish direct and indirect object pronouns together?
- For more on Spanish relative pronouns check this lesson out.
See you soon! ¡Hasta pronto!
Mauricio Evlampieff: Rocket Spanish