Direct Object Pronouns in Spanish | Use & Examples
The direct object pronouns in Spanish are “me,” “te,” “lo,” “la,” “nos,” “os,” “los, and “las.”
Like in English, a direct object in Spanish is a noun that receives the action of the verb. It’s usually an object or person and answers the question “what?” or “whom?”
For example, in “John buys a car,” “car” is the direct object, as it receives the action of “buying.” We could also rephrase this as “John buys it,” where “it” is a pronoun.
We can replace direct object nouns with direct object pronouns in Spanish, too.
Example with direct object noun | Example with direct object pronoun | ||
Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
María compra una falda. | María buys a skirt. | María la compra. | María buys it. |
Yo leo un libro. | I read a book. | Yo lo leo. | I read it. |
Ella invita a sus amigos. | She invites her friends. | Ella los invita. | She invites them. |
Spanish direct object pronouns
Spanish direct object pronouns differ from subject pronouns, like in English. Think of the difference between “I” and “me.” The same difference exists in Spanish between “yo” and “me.”
Direct object pronoun | English translation | Example of direct object pronoun in a sentence | English translation |
---|---|---|---|
Me | Me | Tú me pagas. | You pay me. |
Te | You (singular, informal) | Yo te veo. | I see you. |
Lo, la | Him, her, it
You (singular, formal) |
Andrés lo compra. | Andrés buys it. |
Nos | Us | Ellos nos invitaron. | They invited us. |
Os | You (plural, informal) | Nosotros os llamamos. | We call you. |
Los, las | Them
You (plural, informal or formal) |
Marcos los vende. | Marcos sells them. |
Spanish direct object pronouns must agree with the nouns they replace in number and gender. To do this correctly, ask yourself these questions:
- Is the direct object in the first, second, or third person?
- Is the direct object singular or plural?
- Is the direct object feminine or masculine?
- If addressing someone as “you,” am I speaking formally or informally?
For example:
- “Yo como el pan” [“I eat the bread”] would become “Yo lo como” [“I eat it”] because “el pan” is masculine and singular.
- “Nosotros comemos las pizzas” [“We eat the pizzas”] would become “Nosotros las comemos” [“We eat them”] because “las pizzas” is feminine and plural.
Direct object pronouns in Spanish examples
Using the Spanish direct object pronouns takes some getting used to. Reviewing example sentences can help you get the feel for where and when to use them.
Me
“Me” is used when “me” is the direct object of the sentence.
No me ven. [They don’t see me.]
¿Puedes verme? [Can you see me?]
Te
“Te” is used when “you” in the singular informal is the direct object of the sentence.
Lo, la
“Lo” is used when “him” is the direct object of the sentence, and “la” when “she” is the object. When “it” is the object, use “lo” for masculine nouns and “la” for feminine ones.
“Lo” or “la” are also used when the direct object is “you” in the singular formal.
No necesito a Max. [I don’t need Max.] → No lo necesito. [I don’t need him.]
¿Necesitas una carpeta? [Do you need a folder?] → ¿La necesitas? [Do you need it?]
Nos
“Nos” is used when “us” or “each other” is the direct object of the sentence.
No nos conocemos. [We don’t know each other.]
¿Nos conocemos? [Do we know each other?]
Os
“Os” is used when “you” in the plural informal is the object of the sentence. “Os” comes from the “vosotros” form, which is only used in Spain. In Latin America, use “ustedes”—and its direct object pronoun “los” or “las”—instead.
Paco no os llamará luego. [Paco won’t call you (plural) later.]
¿Paco puede llamaros luego? [Can Paco call you (plural) later?]
Los, las
“Los” is used when “them” is the direct object of the sentence and the group is composed of masculine nouns or a mixed-gender group. “Las” is used when “them” is the direct object and the group it refers to is feminine.
Susana no lee los libros. [Susana doesn’t read the books.] → Susana no los lee. [Susana doesn’t read them.]
¿Susana quiere leer este libro? [Does Susana want to read this book?] → ¿Susana quiere leerlo? [Does Susana want to read it?]
A QuillBot Grammar Check can also make sure you use Spanish direct object pronouns correctly.
When to use direct object pronouns in Spanish
Direct object pronouns in Spanish are used to replace the noun or noun phrase working as the direct object (people, places, things, ideas, etc.).
To avoid repetition
While you aren’t obliged to use direct object pronouns, doing so helps avoid repetition when it’s already clear what the pronoun refers to.
If someone asks you “¿Tienes la llave del coche?” [“Do you have the car key?”], how would you respond?
You could reply, “Sí, tengo la llave del coche” [“Yes, I have the car key”], but this is quite repetitive. Instead, you could use “Sí, la tengo” [“Yes, I have it”].
As personal pronouns
Direct object pronouns are also used any time the direct object is “you” (“te”), “me” (“me”), or “us” (“nos”) since there is no other grammatical equivalent. For example, “te quiero” means I love you in Spanish.
In the third person, you can use direct object nouns (e.g., “Veo a Marina”) or direct object pronouns (e.g., “La veo”).
When using direct object pronouns in Spanish, the personal “a” is not needed, as it is implicitly included in the pronoun (e.g., “Los ayudamos”).
How to use direct object pronouns in Spanish
In Spanish, direct object pronouns can go in a few different places, depending on the sentence. This is different from English, where the direct object pronoun must go after the verb.
Context | Where to place the pronoun | Spanish example | English translation |
---|---|---|---|
Conjugated verb | Before the conjugated verb | Lo compré. | I bought it. |
Conjugated verb + infinitive | Before the conjugated verb | Lo quiero comprar. | I want to buy it. |
Attached to the infinitive | Quiero comprarlo. | I want to buy it. | |
Progressive verb tense (e.g., present progressive) | Before the conjugated verb | Lo estoy comprando. | I am buying it. |
Attached to the conjugated verb | Estoy comprándolo. | I am buying it. | |
Affirmative commands | Attached to the command | Cómpralo. | Buy it. |
Negative command | Before the command | No lo compres. | Don’t buy it. |
Direct object pronouns in Spanish quiz
Check your understanding of the Spanish direct object pronouns with these practice questions.
Frequently asked questions about direct object pronouns in Spanish
- What is a direct object in Spanish?
-
A direct object in Spanish is the same as a direct object in English: a noun or pronoun that receives the action of a verb.
For example, take the sentence “Raquel escribe una carta,” or “Raquel writes a letter.” “Carta” is the direct object because it receives the action of “escribe” from Raquel.
Like in English, the direct object pronouns in Spanish are different from the subject pronouns. They are “me,” “te,” “lo,” “la,” “nos,” “os,” “los,” and “las.”
A QuillBot Grammar Check can make sure you use direct objects and their pronouns correctly, even in Spanish.
- What’s the difference between direct and indirect object pronouns in Spanish?
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Direct object pronouns receive the action of the verb. Indirect object pronouns replace nouns indirectly affected by the verb.
Indirect object pronouns differ slightly from direct object pronouns in Spanish.
Direct vs indirect object pronouns in Spanish Direct object pronouns Indirect object pronouns Me [me] Me [to/for me] Te [you] Te [to/for you] Lo, la [him, her, it, you formal] Le [to/for him, her, you formal] Nos [we] Nos [to/for us] Os [you all informal] Os [to/for you all informal] Los, las [them, you all formal] Les [to/for them, you all formal] A QuillBot Grammar Check can make sure you use direct and indirect object pronouns in Spanish correctly.
- What’s a direct object vs indirect object in Spanish?
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In Spanish, a direct object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of a verb. It usually explains “what?” or “whom?”
An indirect object is indirectly affected by the action, often as a recipient. It usually explains “to whom?” or “for whom?”
Take the sentence “Damos un regalo a Juan” [“We give a gift to Juan”]. What do we give? A gift. To whom do we give it? To Juan.
Indirect object pronouns differ from direct object pronouns in Spanish in the third person forms; instead of “lo/la” and “los,” use “le” and “les.
A QuillBot Grammar Check can make sure you use direct objects and indirect objects in Spanish correctly.