Indirect Object Pronouns

1. Complementos indirectos (Indirect Objects)

To begin the lesson:

watch

An indirect object is a sentence participant that is often understood as the recipient of the action denoted by the verb. It answers the question “To whom?” or “For whom?” An indirect object pronoun is a type of pronoun that refers to the indirect object in a sentence. (Note that in the examples below, the word a is not the personal a but rather the preposition a.)

EXAMPLE

	Le escribo mensajes de texto a mi madre. (I write text messages to my mother.) My mother is the recipient of the action (the indirect object) in this sentence.
	To whom am I writing the text messages? To my mother. ¿A quién le escribo los mensajes? A mi madre.

EXAMPLE

	El mesero me sirve la sopa a mí. (The waiter serves the soup to me.) I am the recipient of the action (the indirect object) in this sentence.
	To whom is the waiter serving soup? To me. ¿A quién le sirve la sopa el mesero? A mí.

hint

Sentences with indirect objects will always include an indirect object pronoun. It is mandatory to include an indirect object pronoun whether or not the indirect object is specifically stated.

	You could say, Juan les escribe las cartas a sus abuelos. (Juan writes letters to his grandparents.)
	Or you could simply say, Juan les escribe las cartas. (Juan writes letters to them.)

terms to know

Indirect Object

A person or other noun in a sentence for whom the action is done.

Indirect Object Pronoun

A type of pronoun that refers to the indirect object of a sentence.

2. Los pronombres de complemento indirecto (Indirect Object Pronouns)

In this part of the lesson, you will learn how to use the appropriate indirect object pronoun in a sentence. The indirect object pronouns are shown in the table below. They should look familiar. You have used them with the verb gustar to state “to whom” things are pleasing. Often they will be accompanied by a tonic pronoun equivalent.

A tonic pronoun is one that functions as a subject (as in Ella estudia mucho), an attribute (as in Mi hermana es ella), or a pronoun following a preposition (as in La mochila es de ella). In the first example below, le is the indirect object pronoun while él is the tonic pronoun.

EXAMPLE

A él le gusta escribir. (Literally, "Writing is pleasing to him.")

In the sentence above, escribir is the subject (writing is what is pleasing) and le is the indirect object (it is pleasing to him).

EXAMPLE

Me gusta el chocolate. (Literally, "Chocolate is pleasing to me.")

In the sentence above, chocolate is the subject and me is the indirect object.

Remember that indirect objects sometimes answer the question “For whom?”, so the indirect object pronouns shown above will sometimes translate into English using “for” instead of “to.”

terms to know

Tonic Pronoun

A pronoun used for emphasis and outside of verb constructions.

2a. Placement of Indirect Object Pronouns

First, can you identify the indirect object in this sentence?

EXAMPLE

Yo les compro unos libros a mis hijos. (I buy some books for my children.) The indirect object would be my children. For whom do I buy some books? For my children.

Now, let’s use the sentence Yo les compro unos libros a mis hijos to illustrate the steps you will follow for selecting the correct indirect object pronoun when there is only one verb in the sentence.

step by step

Order and Placement of Indirect Object Pronoun with One Verb in a Sentence

1. Determine the indirect object of the sentence: mis hijos
2. Identify the corresponding indirect object pronoun: les (third person plural; "for them")
3. Place the indirect object pronoun before the verb:

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Yo les compro los libros a mis hijos.

Any negative expressions such as no or nunca are placed before the object pronouns. In other words, you do not separate the object pronoun from the verb:

EXAMPLE

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Yo no les compro los libros a mis hijos.

try it

Now you try a few. Place the correct indirect object pronoun in the space provided. Click the plus sign to see the answer before you move on to the next section of this lesson.

1. El empleado _____ vende unos suéteres bonitos a nosotros.

Answer: El empleado nos vende unos suéteres bonitos a nosotros. (The employee sells us some pretty sweaters.)

2. Yo _____ describo la portada del libro a Carolina.

Answer: Yo le describo la portada del libro a Carolina. (I describe the cover of the book to Carolina.)

3. Mario no _____ sirve los platos correctos a los clientes.

Answer: Mario no les sirve los platos correctos a los clientes. (Mario does not serve the correct dishes to the customers.)

What if you have two verbs? Object pronouns can be attached to an infinitive and to a participle. They are also attached to affirmative commands, but those will be covered in a future lesson.

If you have two verbs in a sentence that are working together, you will have two options for where to place the object pronouns (just as you had with one object pronoun):

1. Place both object pronouns before the conjugated verb.
2. Attach the indirect object pronoun to the non-conjugated verb.

step by step

Option One: Place both object pronouns before the conjugated verb.

1. Determine the indirect object of the sentence: mis hijos
2. Identify the corresponding indirect object pronoun: les (third person plural; “for them”)
3. Put the indirect object pronoun before the conjugated verb (the first verb in the pair):

Yo les voy a comprar unos libros a mis hijos.

You can omit the subject pronoun (yo):

EXAMPLE

Les voy a comprar unos libros a mis hijos. (I am going to buy some books for my children.)

Placing the indirect object pronoun before the conjugated verb also works when you are using the present progressive tense. For example, in the present progressive construction below, the conjugated verb is estoy.

EXAMPLE

Yo les estoy comprando unos libros a mis hijos. (I am buying some books for my children.)

The second placement option is to attach the indirect object pronoun to the end of the non-conjugated verb (the infinitive or the present participle). This would be the second verb in the pair.

Let’s look at how we would use this placement option with the sentence:

step by step

Option Two: Attach the indirect object pronoun to the non-conjugated verb.

1. Determine the indirect object of the sentence: mis hijos
2. Identify the corresponding indirect object pronoun: les (third person plural; "for them")
3. Attach the indirect object pronoun to the non-conjugated verb (the second verb in the pair):

Yo voy a comprarles unos libros a mis hijos.

Again, you can omit the subject pronoun (yo):

EXAMPLE

Voy a comprarles unos libros a mis hijos. (I am going to buy some books for my children.)

This second placement option also works with the present progressive tense. You can attach the indirect object pronoun to the end of the second verb (comprando in the example below).

EXAMPLE

Yo estoy comprándoles unos libros a mis hijos. (I am buying some books for my children.)

hint

Notice the accent mark that must be added to the participle when you attach an indirect object pronoun. This is due to the change in the number of syllables and where the stress would fall without the addition of the written stress mark. You want to maintain the original stress of the word: comPRANdo.

However, when you add a syllable, the natural stress shifts: compranDOles. So, you add a written accent mark to rectify this. You want to maintain the stress on the second syllable, so the written accent mark goes over the vowel in that syllable: comprándoles. This written accent mark preserves the original stress of the participle: comPRÁNdoles.

Note that both indirect object placement options are correct and that neither is more common to a particular region or dialect. Spanish speakers use them interchangeably.

Now, try building some sentences yourself using indirect object pronouns. For this activity, place the indirect object pronoun before the first verb.

try it

Rewrite each phrase as a complete sentence using the correct indirect object pronoun. Give both options (placing the indirect object pronoun before the first verb and then attaching it to the second verb). Click the plus sign to see the answer.

1. quiero vender mi libro usado a ti

Answer: Te quiero vender mi libro usado a ti. OR Quiero venderte mi libro usado a ti.

2. están comprando las bicicletas a sus hijos

Answer: Les están comprando bicicletas a sus hijos. OR Están comprándoles bicicletas a sus hijos.

3. van a presentar el proyecto a su profesor

Answer: Le van a presentar el proyecto a su profesor. OR Van a presentarle el proyecto a su profesor.