Explanation
What Are the Indirect Object Pronouns in Spanish?
The table below shows the different forms indirect objects can take in Spanish.
| Subject | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| First person | me(to/for me) | nos(to/for us) |
| Second person | te(to/for informal you) | os(to/for informal you) |
| Third person | le(to/for it, him, her, formal you) | les(to/for them, formal you) |
Notice that none of the indirect pronouns vary according to gender.
Quiz yourself on the different indirect object pronouns in Spanish here!
Finding the Indirect Object Pronoun
You can find the indirect object in a sentence by asking yourself to whom or for whom an action was done. For example, to find the indirect object in the following sentence, you could ask yourself For whom did Gabriel buy a rose? The answer is For Anita. Therefore, the indirect object is Anita, and the matching indirect object pronoun is le.
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Using Indirect Object Pronouns and Indirect Objects Together
In Spanish, it's common for both an indirect object pronoun and the noun to which it refers to appear together. In the example below, Juanis the indirect object. The indirect object pronoun lecan be used with the indirect object (as in the first example), or without it (as in the second example).
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Because the third person indirect object pronoun is gender neutral, it is common to maintain the indirect object phrase in the sentence for clarification.
Even without a Juan, le still indicates to whom the direct object (la pelota) is thrown. However, because third person indirect object pronouns do not indicate gender, this sentence could also mean:
- Samuel threw the ball to her.
- Samuel threw the ball to it.
- Samuel threw the ball to you.
To avoid confusion, Spanish speakers will often clarify to whom a pronoun refers by using both the indirect object and the indirect object pronoun.
Click to learn more about indirect object pronoun placement!
Verbs that Take an Indirect Object
Below is a list of verbs that often take a person as an indirect object in Spanish.
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