Directos y IndirectosLos T.A.s de Señor Bilsbury

A direct object is the recipient of the verb or action that is being done in a sentence.

Example:

I threw the book at Joseph.

Book is the direct object, because it is the recipient of the verb to throw.

Direct Objects

An indirect object is not the direct recipient/primary object of a verb, but it is affected by the verb, and often by the indirect object.

To simplify, here’s an example.

You gave Bella a gift.

Bella is the indirect object, because she is affected by the verb.

To review, gift is the direct object, because it is what is being given.

Indirect Objects

Pronombres● Pronombres = pronouns● Personal pronouns are used to take the place of a noun● Here’s an example in English:

○ Maria is a happy person.○ She is happy.

■ She is the pronoun.

The same way that personal pronouns can take the place of names, pronouns can take the place of objects and indirect objects.

Direct Object Pronouns: (Objetos Directos)

Lo/La/Los/Las = It/Them in English

Lo → Singular, masculino Los → Plural, masculinoLa → Singular, feminina Las → Plural, femenina

Direct Object Pronouns

You gave me the car.

Tu me diste el coche.

You gave it to me.Tu me lo diste.

Lo is the direct object pronoun to take the place of el coche.

Ejemplos de Objetos Directos

IO Pronouns = Words that take the place of indirect objects

Me/Te/Le/Nos/Os/Les

Me → me Nos → usTe → you Vos → themLe → him/her Les → them

The English words above express the indirect object pronouns in English sentences.

Indirect Object Pronouns

Maria le dió el libro a Carolina.Maria gave her the book.

Here, le and her are the indirect object pronouns.

They are the recipients of the direct object book.

Ejemplos de Pronombres Indirectos

Indirect objects and direct objects are often used together in a sentence.

Example:

I said the word to Emily.I said it to her.

Here, it takes the place of “the word,” and her takes the place of “Emily.”

It = D.O. Pronoun; Her = I.O. Pronoun

Indirectos y Directos

When an indirect object pronoun and a direct object pronoun are being used in the same sentence, the indirect object pronoun always goes directly before the direct object pronoun.

Example:You show it to us.Tu nos lo muestra a nosotros.

In this case, nos (us) is the indirect object pronoun and lo (it) is the direct object pronoun.

La Regla de Objetos Indirectos y Directos

In any case where you will use a combination of lo/la/los/las and le/les in your sentence, the indirect object pronoun (le/les) must change to “se.”

Saying “le lo di” or “les la dijo” would sound strange, so le and les get replaced with “se” in these instances.

The relevant pronoun combinations are [Se + lo/la/los/las] even easier here, because when the indirect object is le or les, it becomes “se” and you only have to identify the correct direct object.

La Excepción a La Regla

Juan le dijo el cuento a Ariana. Juan told the story to Ariana.

Juan se lo dijo a Ariana. Juan told it to her.

Se is the indirect object replacing “Ariana,” and lo is the direct object replacing “el cuento.”

Because “Le lo” sounds horrible and is grammatically incorrect, we change “le” to “se” and say “Se lo.”

Ejemplos