Indirect object pronouns and redundant le
me, te, le, nos, os, les: to whom or for whom, and why Spanish says le even when the person is named.
Part of the free A2 Spanish course. Press the speaker next to an example to hear it.
You met me, te, le, nos, os, les with gustar and dar in me, te, le, nos, os, les with gustar and dar. Here is how they work with every verb.
What an indirect object is
The indirect object is the person who receives something or benefits from the action. It answers to whom? or for whom?. In I give María the book, the book is the direct object (what I give) and María is the indirect object (who gets it).
| Person | Pronoun |
|---|---|
| yo | me |
| tú | te |
| él, ella, usted | le |
| nosotros/as | nos |
| vosotros/as | os |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | les |
Le and les have no gender: le is "to him", "to her" or "to you (usted)".
Common verbs with an indirect object: dar, decir, escribir, mandar, enviar, regalar, preguntar, pedir, explicar, enseñar, contar, prestar, traer, comprar.
- Mi abuela me cuenta historias.My grandmother tells me stories.
- ¿Te escribo mañana?Shall I write to you tomorrow?
- Nos explicó el problema.She explained the problem to us.
- Os traigo un regalo de Japón.I'm bringing you a present from Japan.
- Señor Ruiz, ¿le traigo la carta?Mr Ruiz, shall I bring you the menu?
Redundant le: the pronoun AND the name
In English you say either I give María the book or I give her the book. Spanish usually says both: the pronoun le and a María. This "doubling" is normal, natural Spanish, not a mistake:
- Le doy el libro a María.I give María the book.
- Les mandamos una postal a nuestros amigos.We send our friends a postcard.
- Le pregunté la hora a un policía.I asked a police officer the time.
Doy el libro a María without le is grammatical but sounds formal or written; in speech, native speakers usually add le.
With a mí, a ti, a él, a ella, a usted… the pronoun is obligatory. The a phrase adds emphasis or makes clear who le means:
- A ella le encanta el teatro.She loves the theatre.
To or from? For or on?
The indirect object is the person affected by the action, so it can translate as to, for or from:
- Le compré flores a mi madre.I bought my mother flowers.
Le compré el coche a mi vecino can mean "I bought the car from my neighbour" or "for my neighbour"; context decides.
With parts of the body and clothes, Spanish uses the indirect object and el / la instead of a possessive:
- Le lavé la cara al niño.I washed the child's face.
Latin America and regional use
- There is no os: use les for a group (Les traigo un regalo).
- In speech in many places you will hear singular le with a plural person (le dije a mis padres). The standard is les: les dije a mis padres.
- In parts of central Spain some speakers say la for "to her" (la dije). This is laísmo and is not accepted in the standard: write le dije. See Leísmo, laísmo, loísmo: Spain's variation and the norm.
Common mistakes
Dijo a mí: an indirect object pronoun is needed: Me dijo (a mí).Le escribo a mis padres: very common in speech, but the plural takes les: Les escribo a mis padres.La dije la verdad(to her): the indirect object is le for women too: Le dije la verdad.Escribo a ella: say Le escribo (a ella only for emphasis).- Mixing up the objects: in Le doy el libro, le is the person and el libro is the thing.
Practice
- _____ regalé un libro a mi hermano.Options: Le · Lo · Les · La
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Le — One person receiving: le, together with a mi hermano.
- ¿Qué _____ dijiste a tus padres?Options: les · le · los · las
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les — Plural indirect object: les. Singular le with a plural is heard in speech but is not standard.
- Mi profesora siempre _____ explica todo dos veces.
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nos
- ¿_____ presto mi bici?
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te