Reflexive Pronouns
These are used when the subject of the verb does the action to himself or herself. There are many more reflexive verbs in Spanish than in English.
Me lavé las manos. Te quitaste el suéter. Se hicieron daño.
I washed my hands.
You took off your sweater. They hurt themselves.
Position of Object and Reflexive Pronouns
Object and reflexive pronouns are usually placed directly before the verbs they modify:
Me torcí el pie. I twisted my foot. Se lo mandaré. I’ll send it to you.
But they can also be attached to the end of:
infinitives:
Voy a mandárselo. Tienes que bañarte.
gerunds:
Estamos escribiéndola. Estoy afeitándome.
positive imperatives:
¡Hágalo ahora mismo! ¡Siéntese!
But not to negative imperatives:
¡No lo hagas! ¡No se siente!
We’re going to send it to you. You have to take a bath.
We’re writing it. I’m shaving.
Do it right now! Sit down!
Don’t do it! Don’t sit down!
Prepositional Pronouns
These are pronouns that are used after prepositions. Except for mí and ti, they are the same as the subject pronouns.
Esto es para usted. This is for you.
¡No vayan sin mí! Don’t go without me!
Note the special forms conmigo meaning “with me” and contigo meaning “with you”: ¿Vienes conmigo? Are you coming with me?
Sí, voy contigo. Yes, I’ll go with you.
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Prepositional pronouns are also used to emphasize or clarify object pronouns:
¡Me lo dio a mí! He gave it to me! Se lo mandaré a usted. I’ll send it to you.
Direct Object Pronouns
The direct object is the person or thing that is on the receiving end of the verb. For example, in the sentence “I see it,” the pronoun “it” is what is being seen.
¿Ves a Juan? Sí lo veo. Do you see Juan? Yes, I see him. Sí, te oigo. Yes, I hear you.
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Lo is usually used for him, la for her:
¿Pedro? No lo conozco. I don’t know him. ¿Elena? No la conozco. I don’t know her.
Lo and la correspond to “it” and los or las to “them,” and each must agree with the gender of the object being referred to:
¿El buzón? Ah, sí, lo veo. The mailbox? Oh, yes, I see it. ¿La música? No, no la oigo. The music? No, I don’t hear it.
Indirect Object Pronouns
The indirect object is the recipient of the action. It is often used with verbs that have to do with telling, sending, giving, and similar activities. In the sentence “I gave it to them,” “them” receives the thing that was given. In English the indirect object is often—but not always—preceded by “to.”
¿Me mandaste el fax? Te lo daré mañana. No le dije nada.
Voy a escribirles.
Did you send the fax to me?
I’ll give it to you tomorrow.
I didn’t say anything to him/her.
I am going to write to them.
I am going to write to them (fem.)
Voy a escribirles a ellas.
Note that le means both “to him” and “to her.” Les means “to them,” and is used to
refer to both genders.
When a direct and indirect object occur together, the indirect always comes first:
¿Me lo mandaste? Did you send it to me?
In Spanish, two pronouns beginning with the letter “l” are not used together: the first
(the indirect) is always changed to se:
Sí, señor, se lo mandé. Yes, sir, I sent it to you. (le lo would be incorrect)
Because usted and ustedes are third person pronouns, the direct objects are lo and los (masculine) and la and las (feminine). The indirect objects are le and les:
Ya la conozco, ¿verdad? ¿Qué les pasó?
Le escribiremos pronto. Se lo mandaremos.
I know you, don’t I? What happened to you? We’ll write to you soon. We’ll send it to you.
