MODULE 6 Direct Objects, Indirect Objects and Double Object

Pronouns

OVERVIEW

This module discusses the pronoun. It tackles the proper use of pronoun in
different sentences. It puts emphasis on the rules of using pronoun in Spanish. Some
exercises clarify the use of pronoun. It gives us the understanding in simple grammar.

OBJECTIVES: At the end of this module, you must be able to:

1. classify the different kinds of pronoun;

2. use the correct pronoun in particular situation, and;

3. examine the use of pronoun in a sentence.

Substituting with Object Pronouns

An object pronoun is a replacement word for an object noun. This pronoun helps
you avoid unnecessary, continuous repetition of the noun, which allows for a more
colloquial, free-flowing conversational tone when you’re speaking or writing. Don’t
be tricked by these pronouns, though; always remember that the verb in your
sentence must agree with the subject pronoun. The following sections walk you
through the world of object pronouns.

DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS

Dealing with direct object pronouns

Direct object nouns or pronouns answer the question “Whom or what is the subject
acting upon?” Direct objects may refer to people, places, things, or ideas. A direct
object pronoun simply replaces a direct object noun and agrees with it in number and
gender.

In both English and Spanish, a direct object noun follows the subject and its verb:

Veo la casa. (I see the house.)

Unlike in English, however, you usually place a Spanish direct object pronoun before
the conjugated verb:

La veo. (I see it.)

The table below shows the different forms direct objects can take in Spanish.

SUBJECT SINGULAR PLURAL

me nos
First person (me) (us)

te os
Second person ( informal you sing.) ( informal you plu.)

lo, la los, las

Third person (it, him, her, formal you) (them, formal you-plu)

Here are some example sentences that show how you use Spanish direct object
pronouns:

Él me comprende. (He understands me.)

¿Nos ve Ud.? (Do you see us?)
¿Los periódicos? Yo los leo cada día. (The newspapers? I read them every day.)

People often use le rather than lo in Spain to express you (masculine) or him. Lo is
used as a direct object pronoun in Spanish America. The plural of lo and le is los,
which means them or you. Here are some examples:

Cuido al niño. (I watch the child.)

Lo [Le] cuido. (I watch him.)
Cuido a los niños. (I watch the children.)
Los [Les] cuido. (I watch them.)
Miro el programa. (I watch the program.)
Lo miro. (I watch it.)
Miro los programas. (I watch the programs.)
Los miro. (I watch them.)

Understanding the personal a

In Spanish, the personal a conveys absolutely no meaning and is used only before a
direct object noun (not before a direct object pronoun or any indirect objects) to
indicate that it refers to a person or a beloved pet. The following list explains in more
detail how to use the personal a:

You use the personal a before a common or proper noun that refers to a person or
persons. The personal a com- bines with the definite article el to form the
contraction al, but it doesn’t combine with the other definite articles:
No conozco a ellas. (I don’t know them.)
Busco al señor Gómez. (I’m looking for Mr. Gómez.)

You use the personal a before the name of your pooch, tabby, hamster, turtle, or other
pet:
Adiestró a Fido. (She tamed Fido.)
You use the personal a before a pronoun that refers to a person:
No espero a nadie. (I’m not waiting for anyone.)

You don’t, however, use the personal a with the verb tener (to have):

Tengo dos hermanos. (I have two brothers.)

INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS

Coping with indirect object pronouns

Indirect object nouns or pronouns refer only to people (and to beloved pets); they
answer the question “To or for whom is the subject doing something?” An indirect
object pronoun can replace an indirect object noun but also is used in Spanish
when the indirect object noun is mentioned. The indirect object pronoun never
agrees in gender with the noun to which it refers. And just like with direct object
pronouns, indirect object pronouns generally are placed before the conjugated
verb. For example:

Le escribo un e-mail. (I’m writing an e-mail to him.)

Le escribo a Gloria un e-mail. (I’m writing an e-mail to Gloria.)

The table below shows the different forms indirect objects can take in Spanish.

SUBJECT SINGULAR PLURAL

me nos
First person
(to/for me) (to/for us)

te os
Second person (to/for informal you) (to/for informal you)

le les
Third person (to/for it, him, her, formal you) (to/for them, formal you)

The following sentences show how you use indirect object pronouns:

¿Me dices la verdad? (Are you telling me the truth?)

La mujer nos ofrece un refresco. (The lady offers us a drink.)
Les doy un abrazo. (I give them a hug.)

A clue that may indicate that you need an indirect object pronoun is the use of the
preposition a (al, a la, a los, or a las), which means to or for (unlike the personal a,
which has no meaning — see the preceding section), followed by the name of or
reference to a person. You may use a él, a ella, or a Ud. or the person’s name to
clarify to whom you’re referring:

Yo le escribo a Rosa. (I write to Rosa.)

Yo le escribo. (I write to her.)
Ella le habla al muchacho. (She speaks to the boy.)
Ella le habla. (She speaks to him.)
Ella le habla a él. (She speaks to him.)
Ella le habla a Juan. (She speaks to Juan.)

Although you may use the prepositions to and for in English, you omit these
prepositions in Spanish sentences before an indirect object pronoun:

Te compro un regalo. (I’m buying a present for you; I’m buying you a present.)
Me escriben. (They are writing to me; they are writing me.)

Choosing the proper pronoun

Sometimes people get confused when trying to figure out whether to use a direct
object pronoun or an indirect object pronoun. The good news is you’ll have
absolutely no problem with me, te, nos, and os because they act as both direct and
indirect object pronouns. They’re also reflexive pronouns.

Me respeta. (He respects me.)

Me dice un secreto. (He tells me a secret.)

Nos visita. (She visits us.)

Nos trae flores. (She brings us flowers.)

Here’s one tip: If you can use the word to or for in an English sentence before a
reference to a person — no matter how awkward the construction may seem —
you must use an indi- rect object pronoun in your Spanish sentence:

Quiero mostrarte esta foto. (I want to show [to] you this photo.)

The following sections give you some more insider tips that can help you decide
between direct and indirect object pro- nouns.

Common Spanish verbs requiring a direct object

Verbs that require an indirect object in English may require a direct object in Spanish
because to or for is included in the meaning of the infinitive. (Remember that any a you
see will be the personal a; check out “Understanding the personal a” earlier in this
chapter.) Some of these high-frequency verbs include the following:

buscar (to look for)

escuchar (to listen to)
esperar (to wait for)
llamar (to call)
mirar (to look at)

The following examples illustrate how you use these verbs:

Nosotros esperamos a nuestros amigos. (We are waiting for our friends.)
Nosotros los esperamos. (We are waiting for them.)

Common Spanish verbs requiring an indirect object

Verbs that require a direct object in English don’t necessar- ily require a direct
object in Spanish. The verbs that follow take indirect objects in Spanish, regardless
of the object used in English. This is because to or for is implied when speaking
about a person or because the verb generally is followed by the preposition a:

acompañar (to accompany) obedecer (to obey)

aconsejar (to advise) ofrecer (to offer)
contar (to relate, tell) pedir (to ask)
contestar (to answer) preguntar (to ask)
dar (to give) presentar (to introduce)
decir (to say, tell) prestar (to lend)
enviar (to send) prohibir (to forbid)
escribir (to write) prometer (to promise)
explicar (to explain) regalar (to give a gift)
llamar (to call) telefonear (to call)
mandar (to send)
Here are a few examples:

Te aconsejo practicar más. (I advise you to practice more.)

Ella le pide disculpa a su amiga. (She asks her friend for an apology.)

Positioning object pronouns

How do you decide where to place a direct or indirect object pronoun in a Spanish
sentence? Generally, you place these pronouns before the conjugated verb:

Nosotros los necesitamos. (We need them.)

Siempre les cuentas chistes. (You always tell them jokes.)

In a negative command, the object pronoun precedes the verb. In an affirmative

command, however, the object pro- noun must follow the verb and be attached to it.
The stressed vowel normally requires an accent mark (if there are only two vowels,
no accent is necessary). To properly place the accent, count back three vowels
and add it.

Here’s what affirmative commands look like:

Prepárela. (Prepare it.)

Hazlo. (Do it.)

Now take a look at the negatives:

No la prepare. (Don’t prepare it.)

No lo hagas. (Don’t do it.)

Doing double duty

Spanish sentences quite commonly require both a direct and an indirect object
pronoun. You have many rules to consider when creating these sentences, as the
following list shows:
When the verb has two object pronouns, the indirect object pronoun (a person)
precedes the direct object pronoun (usually a thing):
Ella nos muestra las revistas. (She shows us the magazines.)
Ella nos las muestra. (She shows them to us.)
Nosotros te damos el boleto. (We give you the ticket.)
Nosotros te lo damos. (We give it to you.)
When a sentence has two third-person object pronouns, the indirect object pronouns
le and les change to se before the direct object pronouns lo, la, los, and las:
Él les lee las revistas a sus abuelos. (He reads the magazines to his grandparents.)
Él se las lee. (He reads them to them.)
To clarify the meaning of se — because it can mean to/for you, him, her, and them —
you may include the phrase a Ud. (Uds.), a él (ellos), or a ella (ellas):

Yo se los digo a él (a ella) (a Uds.). (I tell them to him [her] [you/them].)

The same rules for the positioning of single object pronouns apply for double object
pronouns (see the preced- ing section). The following examples show how you use
and place double object pronouns:
With an infinitive, you may place the two separate pronouns before the conjugated
verb, or you may connect and attach them to the end of the infinitive:
(No) Te los quiero mostrar. (I [don’t] want to show them to you.)
(No) Quiero mostrártelos. (I [don’t] want to show them to you.)

With commands:
Formal
Affirmative: Dígamelo. (Tell it to me.)
Negative: No me lo diga. (Don’t tell it to me.)

Informal:
Affirmative: Dímelo. (Tell it to me.)
Negative: No me lo digas. (Don’t tell it to me.)

PRACTICA

Translate the following in Spanish with the correct use of object pronoun.

1. They love me.

2. We buy them. (the houses)
3. I give it (flower) to you.
4. She borrows it. (the dress)
5. I show them the picture.