An object pronoun replaces a noun that is receiving an action, not performing it.
Role
Example
Pronoun
Subject
He called Maria.
he
Object
He called her.
her
Object pronouns come in two types in English: direct and indirect.
Direct vs Indirect Object (English)
Direct object: the thing directly receiving the action — “He ate the pizza”
Indirect object: who the action is done for or to — “He gave Maria the pizza”
Sentence
Direct object
Indirect object
She sent the email.
the email
—
She sent me the email.
the email
me
I bought a book.
a book
—
I bought him a book.
a book
him
They told the story.
the story
—
They told us the story.
the story
us
He gave the keys.
the keys
—
He gave her the keys.
the keys
her
We sent a message.
a message
—
We sent them a message.
a message
them
English object pronouns
Subject
Direct object
Indirect object
I
me
me
you
you
you
he
him
him
she
her
her
it
it
it
we
us
us
they
them
them
In English, direct and indirect object pronouns are the same form for most persons.
How Spanish handles object pronouns differently
Key differences
Spanish has separate forms for direct and indirect objects
Object pronouns go before the conjugated verb (not after, like English)
With infinitives and commands, they can attach to the end of the verb
Direct object pronouns change based on gender (for 3rd person)
Spanish direct object pronouns
These replace the thing receiving the action.
English
Spanish
me
me
you (informal)
te
him / it (masc.)
lo
her / it (fem.)
la
us
nos
you all (informal)
os
them (masc.)
los
them (fem.)
las
Examples — direct object pronouns in action
Spanish
Word-by-word
English
Lo veo.
him/it I-see
I see him.
La llamo.
her/it I-call
I call her.
Te escucho.
you I-listen
I’m listening to you.
Nos invitaron.
us they-invited
They invited us.
Lo compré.
it I-bought
I bought it. (masc. noun)
La leí.
it I-read
I read it. (fem. noun)
Los vimos.
them we-saw
We saw them. (masc. group)
Las llamamos.
them we-called
We called them. (fem. group)
¿Me escuchas?
me you-listen
Are you listening to me?
Te llamo mañana.
you I-call tomorrow
I’ll call you tomorrow.
Spanish indirect object pronouns
These replace the person who receives the action — the “for/to whom.”
English
Spanish
to/for me
me
to/for you (informal)
te
to/for him / her / it / you formal
le
to/for us
nos
to/for you all (informal)
os
to/for them / you all
les
Note: me, te, nos, os are the same for direct and indirect. The difference is only in 3rd person: lo/la/los/las (direct) vs le/les (indirect).
Examples — indirect object pronouns in action
Spanish
Word-by-word
English
Le dije la verdad.
to-him/her I-said the truth
I told him/her the truth.
Te compré un café.
to-you I-bought a coffee
I bought you a coffee.
Me enviaron un mensaje.
to-me they-sent a message
They sent me a message.
Nos explicaron las reglas.
to-us they-explained the rules
They explained the rules to us.
Le pregunté su nombre.
to-him/her I-asked their name
I asked him/her their name.
Les mandé un correo.
to-them I-sent an email
I sent them an email.
Me dieron una oportunidad.
to-me they-gave an opportunity
They gave me a chance.
Te cuento todo.
to-you I-tell everything
I’ll tell you everything.
Les traje comida.
to-them I-brought food
I brought them food.
Nos ofrecieron el trabajo.
to-us they-offered the job
They offered us the job.
Pronoun placement
Before a conjugated verb (default)
Spanish
English
Lo compro.
I buy it.
Te llamo.
I call you.
Le dije.
I told him/her.
Nos invitan.
They invite us.
Attached to infinitive (both are correct)
Attached form
Separate form
English
Quiero comprarlo.
Lo quiero comprar.
I want to buy it.
Voy a llamarte.
Te voy a llamar.
I’m going to call you.
Necesito decírselo.
Se lo necesito decir.
I need to tell him/her it.
Prefiero hacérlo.
Lo prefiero hacer.
I prefer to do it.
le / les → se before lo/la/los/las
When an indirect pronoun (le/les) appears before a direct pronoun (lo/la/los/las), the indirect changes to se.
Incorrect
Correct
English
Le lo dije.
Se lo dije.
I told it to him/her.
Le la enviaron.
Se la enviaron.
They sent it to her.
Les los mandé.
Se los mandé.
I sent them to them.
Le las expliqué.
Se las expliqué.
I explained them to him/her.
Common mistakes
❌ Putting the pronoun after the conjugated verb → ✅ Lo veo not Veo lo
❌ Using lo for a feminine noun → ✅ use la: Compré la mesa. → La compré.
❌ Forgetting the le → se change → ✅ Se lo dije not Le lo dije
❌ Confusing direct (lo/la) with indirect (le) → ✅ direct = the thing, indirect = the person it’s done for
Summary
Direct object pronouns replace the thing receiving the action: me, te, lo, la, nos, os, los, las
Indirect object pronouns replace the person the action is done for: me, te, le, nos, os, les
Pronouns go before the conjugated verb, or attached to an infinitive
le/les becomes se when followed by lo/la/los/las
See also:Pronoun Table — all pronoun forms in one lookup. See also:Subject Pronouns — who performs the action. See also:Reflexive Verbs — same placement rules, subject and object are the same person. See also:Gustar-Type Verbs — indirect object pronouns as the star of the sentence. See also:Commands (Imperative) — how placement changes with commands.