Indirect object pronouns
Learn to use me, te, le, nos, os, les and why le becomes 'se' before lo/la.
What is an indirect object?
The indirect object shows to whom or for whom something happens: I give my mother a gift. The pronouns are me, te, le, nos, os, les.
Examples
The pronouns
Le and les do not change for gender (there is no masculine/feminine form). To avoid ambiguity, a clarification is often added with a + person.
| enkelvoud | meervoud | |
|---|---|---|
| 1e persoon | me | nos |
| 2e persoon | te | os |
| 3e persoon | le | les |
Examples
Le → se before lo/la/los/las
When you replace both an indirect and a direct object together, and the indirect object is le or les, it changes to se before lo, la, los, las. The combination le lo does not exist in Spanish.
Examples
Order of two pronouns
When a sentence has two pronouns, the indirect object always comes before the direct object: IO + DO. Think: first who, then what (me lo, te la, se los...). With an infinitive, gerund or affirmative command, you attach both together to the end (with a written accent when needed).
Examples
💡 Tips
🎯 Practise this topic with 10 interactive exercises (10)
Related grammar
← Direct object pronounsReflexive verbs →
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