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1.5: Lección- Pronombres de objetos indirectos

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    203322

    • Erica Brown, Alejandra Escudero, María Cristina Montoya, & Elizabeth Small
    • SUNY Oneonta via OER SUNY
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    Learning Objectives

    • Recognize indirect object pronouns
    • Construct sentences with using indirect object pronouns

    Indirect objects and indirect object pronouns

    You recall from the last unit that the thing that is directly affected by the action of a verb is the verb’s direct object. For example the souvenir (recuerdo) in the sentence “Compré un recuerdo en Cuernavaca” (I bought a souvenir in Cuernavaca.) is the direct object of the verb “compré” (I bought). And if you don’t want to repeat a direct object noun ad nauseam, you can swap in a direct object pronoun, as in the sentence “Lo compré en Cuernavaca” (I bought it in Cuernavaca).

    But what if I bought the souvenir for someone else? The person for whom I bought the gift is not the direct object (I didn’t buy a person!), but is still indirectly affected by the act of purchasing the souvenir. The person or thing to or for whom an action is done is the indirect object of the verb. Indirect objects are used frequently with verbs of giving or transferring (a thing to or for someone), and with verbs of communicating (a message for someone). Here’s the list of indirect object pronouns:

    person pronoun
    1a sing. me
    2a sing. te
    3a sing. le
    1a plur. nos
    2a plur. (Spain only) os
    3a plur. les
    • Play AudioLe compré un recuerdo para mi mamá. (I bought a souvenir for my mom.)
      Note: “un recuerdo” is the direct object, and “le” / “mi mamá” is the indirect object.
    • Play AudioTe dije la fecha y la hora de mi vuelo. (I told you the date and time of my flight.)
      Note: “la fecha y la hora de mi vuelo” is the direct object, and “te” is the indirect object.
    • Play AudioEl recepcionista les dijo la contraseña del wifi a los turistas. (The receptionist told the wifi password to the tourists.)
      Note: “la contraseña del wifi” is the direct object, and “les” / “los turistas” is the indirect object.
    • Play AudioEl conserje va a pedirle un taxi para la señora. (The concierge will call a taxi for the lady.)

    Note: “un taxi” is the direct object, and “le” / “la señora” is the indirect object.

    Indirect object pronoun placement

    Indirect object pronouns follow the same placement rules as the reflexive pronouns and the direct object pronouns that you have learned so far: the basic position is right in front of the conjugated verb.

    Spanish places object pronouns immediately before a conjugated verb.

    Fórmula: sujeto + pronombre + verbo conjugado

    Le dije la verdad.

    • Verbo = dije
    • Sujeto = tú
    • Objeto indirecto = a él, ella, o Ud.
    • Pronombre de objeto indirecto = le

    ¿Nos compras los boletos?

    • Verbo = compras
    • Sujeto = tú
    • Objeto indirecto = a nosotros
    • Pronombre de objeto indirecto = nos

    But the indirect object pronoun can be attached to the end of an infinitive or a gerund.

    Object pronouns may precede the conjugated verb (except for positive commands)

    Fórmula: sujeto + pronombre + verbo conjugado + verbo infinitivo o gerundio

    Te voy a decir la verdad.

    • Verbo 1= voy
    • Verbo 2 = decir
    • Sujeto = yo
    • Objeto indirecto = a ti
    • Pronombre de objeto indirecto = te

    ¿Me quieres comprar un auto nuevo?

    • Verbo 1= quieres
    • Verbo 2 = comprar
    • Sujeto = tú
    • Objeto indirecto = a mí
    • Pronombre de objeto indirecto = me

    It can also be attached at the end of the infinitive or gerund:

    Fórmula: sujeto + verbo conjugado + verbo infinitivo o gerundio+pronombre

    Voy a decirte la verdad.

    ¿Quieres comprarme un auto nuevo?

    Indirect object pronoun redundancy

    You may have noticed in the examples above that the indirect object pronoun is used in the sentence even when the indirect object noun is present (always as part of a prepositional phrase, since the verb is being done “for” or “to” someone). The pronoun is required in Spanish whereas the prepositional phrase is there for clarification.

    Práctica

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    This page titled 1.5: Lección- Pronombres de objetos indirectos is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Erica Brown, Alejandra Escudero, María Cristina Montoya, & Elizabeth Small (OER SUNY) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.