Direct object pronouns in full

In lo, la, los, las: the first object pronouns you met lo, la, los, las. This lesson completes the set and covers people, usted, and the use of le in Spain.

What a direct object is

The direct object is the person or thing that directly receives the action of the verb. It answers what? or whom?: in I buy the bread, the bread is the direct object. A direct object pronoun replaces it so you don't repeat it: I buy it.

The pronoun goes before the conjugated verb, and no goes before the pronoun. (With an infinitive or gerund it can also go on the end: see Where pronouns go: before the verb, or attached.)

• ¿Me ves?Can you see me?
• Te quiero mucho.I love you very much.
• Compro el pan y lo llevo a casa.I buy the bread and take it home.
• Conozco a Marta, pero no la veo mucho.I know Marta, but I don't see her much.
• Mis padres nos llaman todos los domingos.My parents call us every Sunday.
• Os espero en la puerta.I'll wait for you at the door.
• No encuentro las llaves. ¿Las has visto?I can't find the keys. Have you seen them?

Lo, la, los, las agree with the noun

Choose by the gender and number of the noun you are replacing: el abrigo → lo, la mesa → la, los zapatos → los, las gafas → las. For a mixed group, use the masculine: Juan y Ana → los.

Usted and ustedes

Usted takes lo (a man) or la (a woman); ustedes takes los / las:

• Señor García, lo llamo mañana.Mr García, I'll call you tomorrow.

Neuter lo: a whole idea

Lo can also stand for a whole idea or sentence, often where English says nothing or "it":

• No lo sé.I don't know.

¿Sabes que Ana se casa? — Sí, lo sé. (Yes, I know.)

People: the personal a, and the pronoun

A person as a direct object takes the personal a (The personal a: Veo a María); the pronoun replaces the whole a + person:

• Vi a Pedro ayer y lo saludé.I saw Pedro yesterday and said hello to him.

Le for "him" in Spain (leísmo)

In much of Spain, especially the centre and north, people say le instead of lo when the direct object is a male person: Le vi ayer = Lo vi ayer (I saw him yesterday). This is called leísmo. The Real Academia Española accepts it for a single male person, so both are correct. Use lo as your default (it is correct everywhere), and don't be surprised to hear le.

What is not accepted in the standard: le for a woman (le vi for "I saw her" → la vi) or for a thing (el libro, le compré → lo compré). Plural les for male people (les vi) is common in speech but the RAE advises against it in careful usage. The full picture, including laísmo and loísmo, is in Leísmo, laísmo, loísmo: Spain's variation and the norm.

Latin America

Lo for a male person is the norm across Latin America. There is no os: a group is ustedes, so Los espero en la puerta (I'll wait for you all at the door).

Common mistakes

• Veo lo: the pronoun goes before a conjugated verb: Lo veo.
• Lo compro for la camisa: match the noun's gender: La compro.
• Le vi to mean "I saw her": for a woman the direct object is la: La vi.
• Conozco a ella: use the pronoun: La conozco.
• Forgetting neuter lo: No sé eso is grammatical but sounds odd as a reply; the natural answer is No lo sé.