Direct Object Pronouns in Spanish - Spanish411.net

1. DIRECT OBJECT
PRONOUNS IN SPANISH

2. SUBJECTS
Subjects state who (or what) is doing the action:
The students returned the book to the teacher.
Enrique and I gave the photos to our parents.

3. SUBJECT PRONOUNS
Subject pronouns take the place of longer subjects:
They returned the book to the teacher.
We gave the photos to our parents.

4. OBJECTS
Objects are people or things being acted upon (or indirectly affected):
They returned the book to the teacher.
We gave the photos to our parents.

5. DIRECT OBJECTS
Direct objects answer “what?” or “whom?” the verb is acting upon:
They returned the book to the teacher.
We gave the photos to our parents.

6. DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS
(DOPS)
DOPs are shorter words which replace longer direct objects:
They returned it to the teacher.
We gave them to our parents.

7. DOPS IN ENGLISH
Direct Object Pronouns in English:
me us
you you
him, her, it them

8. DOPS IN SPANISH
Direct Object Pronouns in English:
me nos
te os
lo, la los, las

9. USING DOPS IN SPANISH
DOPS agree in person, number, & gender:
you  te
us  nos
the book  lo
the photos  las

10. USING DOPS IN SPANISH
DOPs come in front of the verb:
Ellos devolvieron el libro a la maestro
Ellos lo devolvieron a la maestro.

11. USING DOPS IN SPANISH
Another example:
Nosotros dimos las fotos a nuestros padres.
Nosotros las dimos a nuestros padres.

12. USING DOPS IN SPANISH
And another example:
Ella mandó la carta a su hijo.
Ella la mandó a su hijo.

13. PRACTICE: REPLACE THE DOS WITH
DOPS:
Julia hizo el pastel.
Mateo mandó las cartas.
Eva sirvió la cena.
Miguel prestó los lápices.
¿Dio Yessica los juguetes?
Mi tío dijo la historia.
Pepe dio el libro.

14. ANSWERS
Julia lo hizo.
Mateo las mandó.
Eva la sirvió.
Miguel los prestó.
¿Los dio Yessica?
Mi tío la dijo.
Pepe lo dio.

15. ALTERNATIVE PLACEMENT
Objects may be attached to infintives:
No lo quiero comparar.
or
No quiero comprarlo.

16. ALTERNATIVE PLACEMENT
Objects may be attached to present participles:
Lo estoy comprando.
or
Estoy comprándolo.

17. ALTERNATIVE PLACEMENT
Objects must be attached to affirmative commands:
¡Cómpralo!

18. ¡OJO!
Don’t confuse nos and nosotros:
Nos entiendes.

19. ¡OJO!
Lo and la are object pronouns, not subject pronouns:
No: La es muy bonita.
Yes: Es muy bonita.

20. SOURCE
Fortna, Steve. ‘Direct Object Pronouns in Spanish’. Spanish411. Spanish411.net,
n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2015. <http://spanish411.net/Spanish-Direct-Object-
Pronouns.asp>.