1. Pronombres de objeto directo e indirecto
Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns

2. Unos términos gramaticales:
Sustantivo – (Noun) A person, place, or thing.
Pronombre – (Pronoun) Takes the place of a noun.
Objeto directo – (Direct Object) What is being “verbed”: Answers the question “Whom?” or “What?”.
Objeto indirecto – (Indirect Object) Answers the questions “To whom?” “For whom?” or “From whom?”.

3. This Saturday is my sister’s birthday
This Saturday is my sister’s birthday. I want to buy a gift for my sister tomorrow. I don’t want to pay too much for the gift. I think I’ll buy the gift for my sister at K-Mart. I need to send the gift to my sister by Overnight Mail. I think I’ll ship the gift to my sister by FedEx, that way I’ll be sure that the gift will arrive on time for the party. I hope that my sister will like the gift.

4. This Saturday is my sister’s birthday
This Saturday is my sister’s birthday. I want to buy a gift for HER tomorrow. I don’t want to pay too much for IT. I think I’ll buy IT for HER at K-Mart. I need to send IT to HER by Overnight Mail. I think I’ll ship IT to HER by FedEx, that way I’ll be sure that IT will arrive on time for the party. I hope that SHE will like IT.

5. Direct Object Pronounsme te
lo la
nos
los las
“Whom?”
“What?”
Be sure to copy these down!! We will refer to them later.

6. Indirect Object Pronounsme te le
nos
les
“To whom?”
“For whom?”
“From whom?”
Copy these down too! We’ll need them again.

7. Por ejemplo . . . Yo compré un regalo a mi hermana. S V --- OD ---OI Yo
compré
un regalo
a mi hermana.
Let’s “deconstruct” this sentence!!
What is the verb?
Is there something left in the sentence that answers “TO WHOM?”, “FOR WHOM?”, or “FROM WHOM?” I bought el regalo?
We’re going to break this sentence apart.
What is the subject?
Is there something left in the sentence that answers “WHOM?” or “WHAT” I bought?

8. lo Yo compré un regalo a mi hermana.
Is there a pronoun from our direct object list that can take the place of the direct object un regalo that is both singular and masculine?

9. le Yo compré lo a mi hermana.
Is there a pronoun from our indirect object list that can take the place of the indirect object a mi hermana?
In Spanish, we will consider the whole “for my sister” as the Indirect Object even though it is a prepositional phrase.

10. Yo
compré lo
le.

11. Rules of Pronoun Placement
BEFORE the Conjugated Verb.
ATTACHED to the Infinitive.
ATTACHED to the Gerund.
ATTACHED to the Affirmative Command.
BEFORE the Negative Command, but
AFTER the “No.”
Copy these down if you don’t remember them from earlier this year.

12. BEFORE the Conjugated Verb.Yo
compré lo
le.
BEFORE the Conjugated Verb.
Which of the Rules of Pronoun Placement applies to this sentence?

13. Yo
compré. lo le Yo
compré lo
le.

14. Yoder’s Rule of Life
“People are more important than things. People ALWAYS come FIRST.”
Copy this down and REMEMBER it!

15. Yo
compré. le lo

16. se lo
le lo
se la
le la
se los
le los
se las
le las

17. les lo
se lo
les la
se la
les los
se los
les las
se las

18. Yo
compré. se lo Yo
compré. le lo

19. ¡Practiquemos! ¡No compres un regalo a mi hermana! ¡No se lo compres!
Estoy comprando un regalo a mi hermana.
Estoy comprándoselo.
Voy a comprar un regalo a mi hermana.
Voy a comprárselo.
¡Compra un regalo a mi hermana!
¡Cómpraselo!

20. ©2001 James R. Yoder