Direct object pronouns
Replace the direct object with me, te, lo/la, nos, os, los/las.
What is a direct object?
The direct object is what or who directly receives the action: I see the movie. To avoid repetition, you replace it with a pronoun.
Examples
The pronouns
The pronoun matches the gender and number of what it replaces: lo for masculine/neuter, la for feminine.
| enkelvoud | meervoud | |
|---|---|---|
| 1e persoon | me | nos |
| 2e persoon | te | os |
| 3e persoon | lo / la | los / las |
Examples
Position in the sentence
The pronoun goes before the conjugated verb. With an infinitive, gerund or affirmative command, it may (or must) attach to the end.
- Before the conjugated verb: Lo compro.
- After an infinitive/gerund (or before it): Quiero comprarlo / Lo quiero comprar.
- Always after an affirmative command: Cómpralo.
Examples
Leísmo
In large parts of Spain, le is used instead of lo when referring to a male person (e.g. Le vi ayer instead of Lo vi ayer). This is called leísmo and is accepted in Spain for people, but not for things. In this course we always use the standard form lo/la.
Examples
💡 Tips
🎯 Practise this topic with 10 interactive exercises (10)
Related grammar
← The negative imperativeIndirect object pronouns →
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