by Welcome to this comprehensive guide on Indirect Object Pronouns in Spanish. If you’re striving to achieve fluency or simply aiming to improve your conversational skills, understanding these pronouns is key. Indirect object pronouns might seem intimidating at first glance, but fear not, as they can be mastered with a little patience and practice.
In this guide, we’ll break down the concept of indirect object pronouns, explain their usage in the Spanish language, and provide examples to help you understand them better. We’ll tackle everything from the basics to the specifics, ensuring you have a thorough understanding by the end of this guide.
So, let’s dive in and demystify Indirect Object Pronouns in Spanish together!
To understand the object pronouns better we suggest you to check out our direct pronouns guide too.
In this article we’ll cover:
- What is an indirect object pronoun?
- Indirect object pronouns chart and examples
- Indirect object pronouns placement
- Practice time
- Final words
What are indirect object pronouns?
In our previous article, we explored direct object pronouns in Spanish and their importance for sounding more like a native Spanish speaker. Now, we’re moving onto indirect object pronouns – another critical aspect of Spanish grammar that simplifies language use and reduces needless repetition.
Simply put, an indirect object pronoun substitutes a noun to indicate to whom or for whom an action is performed within a sentence.
We understand this may sound a bit confusing, but don’t worry! We’re here to clear up the confusion with some straightforward examples. Let’s dive in:
- I buy chocolates for my boyfriend
Compro chocolates para mi novio
Indirect object: Boyfriend-Novio (Singular-Masculine) Here the action is being done for him
- Juan writes a letter to his sisters
Juan escribe una carta a sus hermanas
Indirect object: Sisters-Hermanas (Plural-Femenine)
Finding the indirect object pronoun in sentences might seem daunting, but here’s a simple trick: always ask “To whom?” or “For whom?” is the action of the verb performed. In other words, who is the main recipient of the action? This strategy will make identifying indirect object pronouns much simpler. Let’s explore further:
- To whom are the chocolates for?
My boyfriend
¿Para quién son los chocolates?
Para Mi novio
- To whom does he write the letter?
His sisters
¿A quién escribe la carta Juan?
A Sus hermanas
Got it?
This exercise is a good starting point to help you recognize indirect objects! It might still seem a bit tricky, but that’s okay – it’s normal in the early stages. The key to mastering this is practice; with time, it will come naturally.
Now, let’s take a look at all the indirect object pronouns.
Indirect object pronouns chart and examples
Each subject pronoun has its own indirect object and here they are:
| Subject pronouns | Indirect object pronoun | English |
| Yo | Me | Me |
| Tú | Te | You |
| Él-Ella-Usted (Formal) | Le | His/Her/You |
| Ustedes-Ellos/Ellas | Les | You (Plural)/They |
| Nosotros/Nosotras | Nos | Us |
As you can see, we have singular and plural forms for indirect object pronouns in Spanish. This is a key characteristic of the Spanish language, and we hope you’re familiar with it! If not, you may want to consider a class with us!
Now, let’s delve into some examples of indirect object pronouns in Spanish to understand their usage more deeply:
| Examples | Indirect object | Subject sentence (To Whom/For Whom) |
| Luis buys food to his son. Luis compra comida a su hijo | Luis buys him food. Luis le compra comida | To whom?: His son¿ A quién?: Su hijo |
| I talk to my parents by phone. Hablo a mis padres por teléfono | I talk to them by phone. Yo Les hablo por teléfono | To whom?: My parents¿ A quién?: Mis padres |
| I clean the house for you. Limpio la casa para ti | I clean you the house. Yo te limpio la casa | To whom?: For you¿ A quién?: Para ti |
| Ana bought a present for us. Ana compró un regalo para nosotros | Ana gave us a present. Ana Nos compró un regalo | To whom?: For us¿ A quién?: Para nosotros |
| I am going to cook pizza to his friends. Voy a cocinar la pizza a sus amigos | I am going to cook pizza for them. Yo les voy a cocinar la pizza | To whom?: His friends¿ A quién?: A su familia |
| Luisa and Maria cook for us. Luisa y Maria cocinan para nosotros | Ana y Luisa cook for us. Ana y Luisa nos cocinan | To whom?: For us¿ A quién?: Para nosotros |
To spot the indirect object in a sentence, we have a handy trick for you. As you may have observed in the previous examples, the preposition “a” or “para” often precedes the indirect object. This can help you identify it more easily.
Did you notice that? You’re welcome!
Let’s proceed to understand when to use these indirect object pronouns.
When to use Indirect Object Pronouns
Verbs that take an Indirect objects
Here’s another handy tip. Only a select few verbs are used with indirect pronouns, making it easier for you to identify them. Let’s take a closer look.
| Verbs indirect pronouns | English | Examples |
| Comprar(le) | To buy something to someone | I bought him a shirt. Yo le compre una camisa |
| Traer(le) | To bring something to someone | They didn’t bring us the food. Ellos no nos trajeron la comida |
| Decir(le) | To say something to someone | I told him the truth. Le dije la verdad |
| Dar(le) | To give something to someone | We gave them all the chocolate. Les dimos todo el chocolate |
| Escribir(le) | To write something to someone | (He-She) wrote to me an email. Me escribió un correo electrónico |
| Regalar(le) | To give (a gift) something to someone | I gave them some apples. Les regalé un poco de manzanas |
| Mostrar(le) | To show something to someone | (He-She) showed us all the clothes. Nos mostró toda la ropa |
| Enseñar(le) | To teach something to someone | I taught him Spanish in LingoToGo. Le enseñe español en LingoToGo |
| Buscar(le) | To look for someone | I looked for them by the park. Yo les busqué por el parque |
| Esperar(le) | To wait for someone | Do you wait for us to leave? ¿Nos esperas para salir? |
This method offers another helpful approach to learn when to use indirect object pronouns. By recognizing these patterns, the learning process becomes easier.
To Add Emphasis
In a sentence, it’s grammatically correct (and quite common) to use both the noun (the recipient of the action, indicated with “a + Noun“) and the indirect object pronouns simultaneously. Native Spanish speakers often do this to add clarity or emphasis to their statements. Let’s take a closer look:
| Luisa le escribió una carta | Luisa le escribió una carta a Ana a + Noun |
| Luisa wrote her a letter | |
| Ellos nos dieron la comida | Ellos nos dieron la comida a nosotros a + Noun |
| The gave us food | |
Now that we’ve gathered the background information, it’s time to examine how to use indirect object pronouns in Spanish. Let’s dive in!
How to Use Indirect Object Pronouns
Now that we’ve covered details about indirect object pronouns, let’s delve into their usage. Similar to direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns in Spanish can be placed before the verb, after the verb, or both. In fact, their placement rules are the same as those for direct object pronouns (you can click here to revisit the direct object pronouns article). Without further ado, let’s explore this further.
Conjugated Verb
Usually when the verb is conjugated in any Spanish tense the indirect object pronoun comes before the conjugated verb. Let’s look at some examples:
- My mom buys to me the book
Mi madre me compra el libro
- Ana gives her/him some chocolates
Ana le da unos chocolates
- She tells them the trut
Ella les dice la verdad
- Luis bring us the pizza at night
Luis nos trae la pizza en la noche
- He will teach them Spanis
Él les enseñará español
Infinitive Verbs
When the verb is not conjugated for example in the case of the Near future (To go) tense or in any other situation, the indirect object goes before or after, examples:
- I am going to tell them the truth
Les voy a decir la verdad
Voy a decirles la verdad
- They are going to look for us in the park
Ellas nos van a buscar en el parque
Ellas van a buscarnos en el parque
- You are going to give her/him the cake in the party
Ustedes le van a dar la torta en la fiesta
Ustedes van a darle la torta en la fiesta
When the verb is in gerund (Ando/iendo) the Present progressive tense or in any other situation (Tener que, poder), the indirect object pronoun could be placed before the infinitive verb and after the infinitive verb, Let’s check this out:
- We have to teach her/him Spanish
Nosotros le tenemos que enseñar español
Nosotros tenemos que enseñarle español
- Could you clean us the kitchen?
¿Nos puedes limpiar la cocina?
¿Puedes limpiarnos la cocina?
- Laura is cleaning her/him the kitchen
Laura le está limpiando la cocina
Laura está limpiándole la cocina
- They are doing to me the Spanish homework
Ellos me están haciendo la tarea de español
Ellos están haciéndome la tarea de español
Remember: When the verb is in gerund form (-ando / -endo) and the indirect object pronoun is attached at the end, it is necessary to use an accent, as in “Limpiándole” or “Haciéndome”. This is crucial to maintain the correct pronunciation and comprehension in Spanish.
Imperative Verbs (Commands)
Affirmative imperative mood, here the indirect object pronoun always goes at the end of the verb, examples:
- Teach me Spanish
Enseñame español
- Give her/him the keys
Dale las llaves
- Look for her in the garden
Búscala en el jardín
Negative imperative mood, on the other hand, when the imperative verb is negative, the indirect object pronoun always goes before the verb, examples:
- Don’t write to them
No les escribas
- Don’t buy to me the burger
No me compres la hamburguesa
Note: The imperative mood, often used for commands, is a more advanced topic in Spanish. If you’re not familiar with it yet, don’t stress! This is just a brief introduction. If you’re interested in learning more about it, you can check out our detailed guide on the subject [insert link here]. This will give you a more comprehensive understanding of how the imperative mood works in Spanish.
You’ve made great progress in understanding indirect object pronouns in Spanish! Now, let’s put that knowledge into practice. Through a series of exercises and interactive activities, we’ll reinforce what you’ve learned and help you gain confidence in using these essential components of Spanish language. Get ready to practice!
Practice time
Now it is your turn to practice the indirect object pronouns.
Identify the Indirect objects in the following sentences – Remember the trick To whom and from whom and organize the sentence in the right way using indirect object pronouns and in present simple (add connector if it is needed)
- My friends/help/you
Mis amigos/ayudan/tú
- We/buy/fruits/them
Nosotros/comprar/frutas/ellos
- I do not/give/all food/to Maria
Yo no/dar/toda la comida/a Maria
- They/have to/cook/to us
Ellos/tener que/cocinar/a nosotros
- My family/is looking for/the keys/to them
Mi familia/estar buscar/las llaves/ a ellas
II. Are this sentences correct or incorrect? Xorrect the incorrect ones:
- I don’t tell him the truth
Yo no le digo la verdad
- I write to you a letter
Yo escribo te una carta
- My father said lies to her/him
Mi padre le dijo mentiras
- Laura gives him food
Laura da le comida a su hijo
- We looked for you on the beach
Nosotros buscarte en la playa
- They could clean the car to you
Ellos pueden limpiarte el carro
- I didn’t find you yesterday at the school
Yo no te encontré ayer en la escuela
- You are cooking pasta to me
Ustedes estan me cocinando la pasta
- Ana and Maria are going to give him a shirt
Ana y Maria van a regalarle una camisa a Luis
- Could you help us with the Spanish homework
¿Nos puedes ayudar con la tarea de español?
Final words
Congratulations on reaching the end of this guide!
Understanding and using indirect object pronouns in Spanish can be tricky at first, but with practice, you’ll find yourself using them naturally, just like a native speaker!
This topic goes hand-in-hand with direct object pronouns in Spanish, so make sure to check out our guide on that topic too, if you haven’t already.
Check out our series of Complete Spanish Grammar articles – everything you’ll ever need to know about Spanish grammar.
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