How to Use Direct Object Pronouns in Spanish
Using direct object pronouns when speaking any language can help you simplify the sentence and avoid repetition. However, due to different placement and conjugations, things can get a little confusing when using Spanish direct object pronouns. In this article, we’ll go over everything you need to know to feel confident when speaking or writing direct object pronouns.
What is a Direct Object Pronoun in Spanish?
Spanish direct object pronouns are used to replace a noun in a sentence, so it’s not repeated more than once. Spanish nouns that can be replaced by direct object pronouns can be either a person, place, or thing—as long as it is the subject that’s receiving the action of the verb being used. Spanish direct object pronouns are words like me, you, him, her, us, you all, or them. The table below provides you with information on Spanish equivalents that you can use in everyday conversation.
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As you can see from the table above, no Spanish accents are used in direct object pronouns. Direct object pronouns are used in English and several other languages to help avoid repetition and make sentences flow more naturally. As with many things in the Spanish language, there are different forms of each direct object pronoun based on gender and number. The Spanish direct object pronouns that you use will need to match the noun’s gender and number previously used in the sentence or previous. For example:
Jorge besó a Lisa — Jorge kissed Lisa
Jorge la besó Jorge kissed her
Yolanda comió las verduras — Yolanda ate the vegetables
Yolanda las comió - Yolanda ate them
Pedro cocinó la cena — Pedro cooked dinner
Pedro la cocinó - Pedro cooked it
The noun being used in each example is receiving the action of the verb, thus can be replaced. However, as you can see, in a standalone sentence it may not be beneficial to replace the noun with direct object pronouns in Spanish, but during conversation this is preferable to continually naming the noun. It’s also important to familiarize yourself with the Spanish alphabet to ensure that you’re using the correct pronunciation with direct object pronouns.
People and Direct Object Pronouns in Spanish
A direct object pronoun in Spanish can be used to replace the mention of a person in a sentence, if they are the subject of the sentence. This is applied whether a specific name of an individual is used or not. Spanish direct object pronouns have to agree with the noun’s gender and number, so you’ll need to pay special attention to whether it’s singular or plural and feminine or masculine. Some examples include the following:
La lluvia mojó a Maria — The rain got Maria wet
La lluvia la mojó - The rain got her wet
La policía detuvo a los sospechosos — The police detained the suspects
La policía los detuvo The police detained them
Things and Direct Object Pronouns in Spanish
Spanish direct object pronouns can also be used to replace the mention of an object in a sentence when it is affected by the action of the subject in the sentence. Always double check the gender and number of the item to ensure you are using the correct form of the object pronoun. Some examples include the following:
El tornado destruyó la casa — The tornado destroyed the house
El tornado la destruyó - The tornado destroyed it (the house is receiving the action of being destroyed)
Pedro se cortó el pelo — Pedro cut his hair
Pedro se lo cortó - Pedro cut it (his hair is receiving the action of being cut)
María me rompió el corazón — Maria broke my heart
María lo rompió - Maria broke it (his heart is receiving the action of being broken)
Phrases and Direct Object Pronouns in Spanish
Direct object pronouns in Spanish can be used to shorten longer phrases with various Spanish adjectives in the same way as they shorten singular nouns. However, if you try to shorten a phrase too much or without previous context, your listener or reader may not have any idea what you’re saying. As with anything involved in learning a new language, practice will make application easier. Some examples are as follows:
Los niños leen muchos libros — The boys read a lot of books
Los niños los leen - The boys read them
Javier ha visto una enorme cantidad de películas de terror — Javier has watched an enormous number of horror movies
Javier las ha visto - Javier has watched them
Where to Place Direct Object Pronouns in Spanish
Spanish direct object pronouns can come either before the verb or attached to the verb’s ending. To practice using them interchangeably in conversation, download Tandem and connect with a native Spanish speaker today. This will help you confidently navigate the world of direct object pronouns in Spanish while you work towards fluency. Some examples of different placements of direct object pronouns include:
Lo quiero estacionar — I want to park it
Quiero estacionarlo — I want to park it
La puedo terminar — I can finish it
Puedo terminarla — I can finish it
Indirect and Direct Object Pronouns in Spanish
The difference between indirect and direct object pronouns in Spanish is that direct object pronouns replace the noun that the verb is acting on in a sentence while indirect object pronouns replace to whom or for whom an action is done. Since indirect and direct object pronouns are essential parts of communication in Spanish, it’s important to fully understand how to use these concepts.
Indirect object pronouns are the same as direct object pronouns in Spanish, except for in the third person. Notice the subtle changes in the table below when using indirect object pronouns in Spanish.
| English Direct Object Pronouns | Direct Object Pronouns in Spanish |
| Singular | |
| to/for me | me |
| to/for him, her, it, or you (formal) | le |
| Plural | |
| to/for us | nos |
| to/for you all (informal) | os |
| to/for them, or you all (formal) | les |
| English Indirect Object Pronouns | Indirect Pronouns in Spanish |
| Singular | |
| to/for me | me |
| to/for you (informal) | te |
| to/for him, her, it, or you (formal) | le |
| Plural | |
| to/for us | nos |
| to/for you all (informal) | os |
| to/for them, or you all (formal) | les |
Indirect object pronouns can be found by looking for to whom or for what an action was performed in a sentence. This results in an even more shortened variation that can help conversations flow. For example, in the sentence, Juan le compró un perro a Luisa (Juan bought a dog for Luisa) the indirect object is Anita, and the indirect object pronoun is le. This can be shortened to Juan le compró un perro or Juan bought a dog for her.
Indirect and direct object pronouns in Spanish can also be used together in a sentence. When this happens, the indirect object pronoun will always come before the direct object pronoun. Object pronouns may also be attached to a verb, which could require an additional accent. The best way to get comfortable using these is to practice! An example of using indirect and direct object pronouns in Spanish is as follows:
Mi madre está comprándome una pizza — My mom is buying me a pizza.
Here, the pizza is the direct object pronoun, while the indirect object pronoun is “me” since that is who the mother is buying the pizza for. This can be further shortened to:
Mi madre está comprándomela — My mom is buying it (la) for me (me).
Spanish Direct Object Pronouns in Negative Sentences and Questions
When using a negative sentence, the direct object pronoun will always come after a negative, which is usually a “no.” If this occurs when there are two verbs in a sentence, only the first verb will be conjugated, while the second verb will stay in the infinitive form. Examples of each situation are as follows, respectively:
Ellos lo buscan - They look for it
Ellos no lo buscan - They don’t look for it
Lo quiere escuchar más tarde - She wants to listen to it later
No lo queire eschucar más tarde - She doesn’t want to listen to it later
Learning Spanish can seem like an uphill battle, but the best way to understand complex concepts and use them confidently in a sentence is to practice. To help you get the most out of your journey towards fluency, join one of the world’s most unique language communities by downloading Tandem. Tandem is a worldwide community with millions of like-minded individuals working towards fluency by exchanging languages with native speakers. All you need to do to begin download the app, answer a few questions, and match with a Spanish speaker who has similar interests. This allows members of our community to foster a deeper understanding of language while improving fluency and building long-lasting friendships. To join our community and work on your language skills, sign up for Tandem today.
