spanish direct object pronouns

What they are and how to use them

Spanish Direct Object Nouns and Pronouns

Los pronombres de objeto directo

Direct objects can be nouns, e.g., people, places, things, ideas, etc. or pronouns that receive the action of the verb. This is true in English and in Spanish.

Los pronombres de objeto directo

English Direct Object Pronouns

me us

you

him, her, it them

Pronombres de objeto directo en español

me nos

te os

lo, la los, las

Los pronombres de objeto directo I read the book. è I read it. è

(Yo) Leo el libro. (Yo) Lo leo.

Who or what do I read? The book! ¡El libro!The book/it receives the action of the verb.

In Spanish, the direct object pronoun usually goes

before the conjugated verb.

Los pronombres de objeto directo You buy the food.è You buy it.è

(Tú) Compras la comida.

(Tú) La compras.Who or what do you buy? The food! ¡La

comida!The food/it receives the action of the verb.

So, in Spanish, where does the direct object pronoun usually go? It goes before the

conjugated verb.

Los pronombres de objeto directo She does it (an

activity--no gender) often. è

(Ella) Lo hace a menudo.

Who or what do she do? An activity (no gender)The activity/it receives the action of the verb.

So, in Spanish, where does the direct object pronoun

usually go?

Los pronombres de objeto directo Do you love me?è Of course, I love

you!è

¿(Tú) Me quieres? ¡Claro que (yo) te

quiero!

Los pronombres de objeto directo We love you, Mr. Smith!è We love you, too, Mrs.

Smith!è

¡Lo queremos, Sr. Smith!

¡La queremos también, Sra. Smith

The direct object to replace the Ud. form of “you” is lo or la depending on

the gender of the person that Ud. refers to.

Los pronombres de objeto directo I love my children.è I love them.è

Amo a mis hijos. Los amo.

My children are specific people and the direct object of the verb “love,”

so I need a before the direct object noun mis hijos.

But, there is NO personal a before

direct object pronouns.

Los pronombres de objeto directo Likewise, there is

NO personal a after the verbs ser, tener or

hay.

Son mis amigos Porfirio y Paloma.

Tienen tres hijos. Hay cinco nietos

en su familia: Paco, Pedro, Pancha, Pepe y Pilar.

Los pronombres de objeto directo Personified

items Countries

Extraño a mi México querido.

Pets Amamos a

nuestro perrito.

Depersonified People When referring to

indefinite, non-specific, or anonymous people, we do not use a personal a. Busco un carpintero. Necesitamos un médico.

Los pronombres de objeto directo

English Direct Object Pronouns

me us

you

him, her, it them

Pronombres de objeto directo en español

me nos

te os

lo, la los, las

con el presente continuo

Los pronombres de objeto directo

In Spanish, there are two possible places to put the direct object pronoun in a present progressive sentence.

Example 1: (Tú) Me estás llamando.

Example 2: (Tú) Estás llamándome.

con el presente continuo

Los pronombres de objeto directo

Example 1: (Tú) Me estás

llamando. In Example 1, the direct

object pronoun me is before the conjugated verb, estás.

Example 2: (Tú) Estás

llamándome. In Example 2, the direct

object pronoun me is connected to the present participle llamando.

con el presente continuo

Los pronombres de objeto directo

Note: If the direct object pronoun is attached to the

present participle, an accent mark must be placed over the a in the -ando ending, or the e in -iendo. (llamándome, llamándote, etc. (barriéndolo, abriendolas, etc.)

con el presente continuo

Los pronombres de objeto directo

Note: By attaching the pronoun, you are adding another

syllable to the end of the word. By adding an accent mark to the -ando or -iendo

ending, the stress will still be on the same syllable as usual.

Remember to put the accent mark over the strong vowel in the dipthong (a or e).

con el presente continuo

Los pronombres de objeto directo

English Direct Object Pronouns

me us

you

him, her, it them

Pronombres de objeto directo en español

me nos

te os

lo, la los, las

con el presente continuo

Los pronombres de objeto directo

In Spanish, there are two possible places to put the direct object pronoun in a sentence with an infinitive.

con los infinitivos

Los pronombres de objeto directo

Example 1: (Tú) Me vas a

llamar. In Example 1, the

direct object pronoun me is before the conjugated verb, vas.

Example 2: (Tú) Vas a

llamarme. In Example 2, the

direct object pronoun me is connected to the infinitive, llamar.

con los infinitivos

Los pronombres de objeto directo

Example 3: (Yo) Lo puedo

hacer. In Example 3, the

direct object pronoun me is before the conjugated verb, puedo.

Example 4: (Yo) Puedo

hacerlo. In Example 4, the

direct object pronoun me is connected to the infinitive, hacer.

con los infinitivos

Los pronombres de objeto directo

Example 5: (Él) Lo quiere

comprar. In Example 3, the

direct object pronoun me is before the conjugated verb, quiere.

Example 6: (Él) Quiere

comprarlo. In Example 4, the

direct object pronoun me is connected to the infinitive, comprar.

con los infinitivos

Los pronombres de objeto directo

Note: It is NOT necessary to add an accent mark to the

infinitive. ALL direct object pronouns end in either a vowel or the letter s.

According to the rules of Spanish pronunciation, when a word ends in a vowel, an n, or an s, the second to the last syllable gets stressed. This would put the stress then, on the infinitive ending (ar, er, ir) which is the way infinitives are to be pronounced.

con los infinitivos

¡Gracias por su atención!