The object that directly receives the action of the verb is called the direct object.
Bill hit the ball.
"Ball" receives the action of the verb "hit."
Sherry reads the book.
"Book" receives the action of the verb "reads."
The direct object can also be a person.
Sherry hit Bill.
(DO=Bill)
The direct object answers the question "what?" or "whom?" with regard to what the subject of the sentence is doing.
Bill hit the ball.
Bill hit what?
Bill hit the ball.
Sherry hit Bill.
Sherry hit whom?
Sherry hit Bill.
Often, it is desirable to replace the name of the direct object with a pronoun.
Example 1
Paul bought the flowers. He took the flowers home and gave the flowers to his wife.
Example 2
Paul bought the flowers. He took them home and gave them to his wife.
When the pronoun replaces the name of the direct object, use the following pronouns:
me (me)
te (you-familiar)
lo, la (him, her, it, you-formal)
nos (us)
os (you-all-familiar)
los, las (them, you-all-formal)
In an affirmative statement with one verb, the direct object pronoun comes immediately before the conjugated verb.
Tengo = I have
Tengo la pluma. = I have the pen.
La tengo. = I have it.
The pronoun (la) comes immediately before the verb (tengo).
In a negative statement with one verb, the NO comes before the direct object pronoun and then the conjugated verb
I don’t have the pen.
I don’t have it.
No la tengo.
Notice that if the subject of the sentence changes, this does not affect the direct object pronoun.
Juan la tiene.
Juan tiene = John has
Juan tiene la pluma. = John has the pen.
Juan la tiene. = John has it.
However, if the direct object of the sentence changes to a masculine noun, the masculine pronoun must be used.
Juan lo tiene.
Juan tiene = John has
Juan tiene el libro. = John has the book.
Juan lo tiene. = John has it.
Likewise, if the direct object of the sentence changes from singular to plural, the plural pronoun must be used.
María tiene los libros. = Mary has the books.
María los tiene. = Mary has them.
Differences:
"It" has two forms in Spanish: lo, la
"Tengo" one word in Spanish = two words in English (I have)
The word order is different. In Spanish, the pronoun (lo, la) comes before the verb; in English, the pronoun (it) comes after the verb.
2. The indirect object (IO) tells us where the direct object (DO) is going.
He gives the book to María.
DO=Book
Where is the book going?
To María.
IO=María
He gives María the book.
The indirect object answers the question "To whom?" or "For whom?" the action of the verb is performed.
Sentences that have an indirect object usually have a direct object. Remember, the IO tells us where the DO is going. Notice how the sentences below just wouldn't work without a direct object.
Sometimes the direct object is not stated; rather it is implied, or understood.
My mother writes me every week.
DO=letter (understood)
IO=me
(My mother writes me a letter every week.)
In a negative statement with one verb, the indirect object pronoun comes between the negative word and the conjugated verb.
Él no me compra nada.
He doesn't buy me anything.
Remember, the IO pronouns le and les present a special problem because they are ambiguous. That is, they can stand for different things.
le
to (for) him
to (for) her
to (for) you-formal
les
to (for) them
to (for) you-all-formal
Since le and les can mean more than one thing, a prepositional phrase is often added to remove the ambiguity.
Ella no le escribe a Juan una carta.
Ella no le escribe a su hermana una carta.
Ella no le escribe a usted una carta.
Remember:
The IO tells us where the DO is going.
The IO answers the question "to whom" or "for whom."
In order for a sentence to have a IO, it must also have a DO.
Sometimes the DO is not stated, but rather is implied, or understood.
The IO pronouns are: me, te, le, nos, os, les.
In a negative sentence, place the pronoun between the negative word and the conjugated verb.
Think in phrases, do not translate word-for-word.
Le and les are ambiguous.
Prepositional phrases are often used for clarity and for emphasis.
When you have both a direct object pronoun and an indirect object pronoun in the same sentence, the indirect object pronoun comes first.
Ellos me los dan.
They give them to me
Whenever both pronouns begin with the letter "l" change the first pronoun to "se."
le lo = se lo
le la = se la
le los = se los
le las = se las
les lo = se lo
les la = se la
les los = se los
les las = se las
The reason for changing "le lo" to "se lo" is merely to avoid the tongue-twisting effect of two short consecutive words that begin with the letter "l". To demonstrate this, first quickly say "les las" and then quickly say "se las.
In negative sentences, the negative word comes directly before the first pronoun.
No se lo tengo.
I don't have it for you.
Nunca se los compro.
I never buy them for her
Because the pronoun se can have so many meanings, it is often helpful to clarify it by using a prepositional phrase.
Él se lo dice.
Ambiguous. He tells it to (whom?).
Él se lo dice a Juan.
In sentences with two verbs, there are two options regarding the placement of the pronouns:
She should explain it to me.
Ella me lo debe explicar.
Ella debe explicármelo.
I hope it can help you, They are from my lessons. Best regards, Maria.
