In which order do the direct and indirect object pronouns appear in Spanish?

In Spanish the indirect object pronoun (me, te, le etc.) will come before the direct object pronoun (lo, la etc.), in structures such as in simple sentences, at the end of infinitives and directly on the end of imperative structures. For example, the English phrase 'You bought it for me', in which 'it' is an apple (una manzana), would be translated into Spanish as Me la compraste, as the indirect object pronoun 'me' means 'for me', and the direct object pronoun 'la' replaces una manzana, and therefore has to agree in terms of gender.

Other similar examples, in which this order can be seen, include positive imperatives, such as 'Pásamela' (Pass it (e.g. la foto, la botella etc.) to me), as well as negative imperatives 'No me lo pases' (Note: the subjunctive ('pases', from PASAR) is used here as it is a negative command) and at the end of infinitives such as 'Voy a pasártela' (I'm going to pass it to you). In all of these examples the indirect object pronoun preceeds the direct object pronoun.

Answered by Cameron G. Spanish tutor

1919 Views

See similar Spanish A Level tutors

Related Spanish A Level answers

All answers ▸

How do I know when to use 'ser' and when to use 'estar' if they both mean 'to be' in English?


How do I form the present of the subjunctive in Spanish?


What are "conjunciones" in spanish ?


La vida nuestra es cada vez más rápida, lo que es perjudicial para nuestra salud. Desarrolla el tema


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2024

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences