Indirect Object Pronouns in Spanish

Introduction

An indirect object pronoun (un pronombre de objeto indirecto) tells you to whom or for whom something is done

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 formal 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.

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.

Gabriel le compró una rosa a Anita.
Gabriel bought a rose for Anita.
Gabriel le compró una rosa.
Gabriel bought a rose for her.

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, Juan is the indirect object. The indirect object pronoun le can be used with the indirect object (as in the first example), or without it (as in the second example).

Samuel le tiró la pelota a Juan.
Samuel threw the ball to Juan.
Samuel le tiró la pelota.
Samuel threw the ball to him.

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.

Verbs that Take an Indirect Object

Below is a list of verbs that often take a person as an indirect object in Spanish.

Spanish English
comprar(le) algo to buy something for someone
contar(le) algo to tell something to someone
dar(le) algo to give something to someone
decir(le) algo to say something to someone
escribir(le) algo to write something to someone
mandar(le) algo to send something to someone
mostrar(le) algo to show something to someone
pedir(le) algo to ask something of someone
regalar(le) algo to give (a gift) to someone
servir(le) algo to serve something to someone
traer(le) algo to bring something to someone

Extra