CEFR A2
What you will learn
- Choose a complete direct or indirect object pronoun by person, gender, number and role.
- Place an object pronoun before a finite verb or attach it to an infinitive or gerund.
- Order two object pronouns and replace le/les with se before lo/la/los/las.
Before you start
- Have studied “The present tense: three endings to start speaking”.
- Have studied “Me gusta: the sentence turns round”.
The idea
A direct object is the person or thing directly affected by the verb: “Leo la carta” becomes “La leo”. An indirect object is the recipient, destination or experiencer: “Doy el mapa a Leo” includes “le”. Gender chooses among “lo/la/los/las” only after the direct-object role is clear. “Le/les” does not agree with the thing given; it points to the recipient.
The table gives the role-based system shared across the Spanish-speaking world. In much of Spain, accepted masculine-person “leísmo” permits “Le vi” for one male person; many other varieties use “Lo vi”. Things remain “lo/la/los/las”.
“Ustedes” takes third-person verb and object forms everywhere. “Vosotros/os” belongs mainly to Spain; most other regions use “ustedes/los/las/les” according to role.
Complete direct and indirect object paradigms
| reference | direct object | indirect object |
|---|---|---|
| me | me | me |
| you, singular informal | te | te |
| him / it masculine | lo | le |
| her / it feminine | la | le |
| us | nos | nos |
| you, plural informal in most of Spain | os | os |
| them masculine / mixed | los | les |
| them feminine | las | les |
| you, formal singular or plural | lo/la/los/las according to reference | le/les |
Complete placement pattern
| verb environment | position | model |
|---|---|---|
| one finite verb | before the verb | La envío hoy. |
| negative finite verb | after no, before the verb | No la envío hoy. |
| finite verb + infinitive | before the finite verb or attached to the infinitive | La voy a enviar. / Voy a enviarla. |
| finite estar + gerund | before estar or attached to the gerund | La estoy enviando. / Estoy enviándola. |
| affirmative command | attached to the command | Envíala. |
Two pronouns: person first, thing second
| indirect slot | direct slot | result |
|---|---|---|
| me | lo / la / los / las | me lo, me la, me los, me las |
| te | lo / la / los / las | te lo, te la, te los, te las |
| le / les | lo / la / los / las | se lo, se la, se los, se las |
| nos | lo / la / los / las | nos lo, nos la, nos los, nos las |
| os | lo / la / los / las | os lo, os la, os los, os las |
How it sounds
- Ana se lo entrega.The map is the masculine singular direct object: “lo”. Luis is the singular recipient: underlying “le”. Before “lo”, “le” changes to “se”, and both pronouns precede the finite verb.
Check objective 1Another case
A proposed answer is “lo” for this case: “Use the red letter: ¿La carta? Sí, lo envié ayer.”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “le” for this case: “Use the red letter: ¿La carta? Sí, le envié ayer.”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: la — La carta is the feminine singular thing directly sent, so it becomes the direct-object pronoun “la”.
“La carta” is the feminine singular thing directly sent, so it becomes the direct-object pronoun “la”.
Answer: la — La carta is the feminine singular thing directly sent, so it becomes the direct-object pronoun “la”.
“La carta” is the feminine singular thing directly sent, so it becomes the direct-object pronoun “la”.
Check objective 2Another case
A proposed answer is “las guardar” for this case: “Use the two green keys and the backpack: ¿Las llaves? Voy a las guardar en la mochila.”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “guardar las” for this case: “Use the two green keys and the backpack: ¿Las llaves? Voy a guardar las en la mochila.”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: guardarlas — The feminine plural direct object is “las”. With the infinitive it attaches as one word: “guardarlas”.
The feminine plural direct object is “las”. With the infinitive it attaches as one word: “guardarlas”.
Answer: guardarlas — The feminine plural direct object is “las”. With the infinitive it attaches as one word: “guardarlas”.
The feminine plural direct object is “las”. With the infinitive it attaches as one word: “guardarlas”.
Check objective 3Another case
Replace A Elena di el libro with two object pronouns.
Replace A mis amigos envié las cartas with two object pronouns.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: Se lo di. — Le changes to se before lo, and the indirect pronoun precedes the direct pronoun.
Le changes to se before lo, and the indirect pronoun precedes the direct pronoun.
Answer: Se las envié. — Les changes to se before las, preserving the indirect-before-direct order.
Les changes to se before las, preserving the indirect-before-direct order.
What your own language pushes you to say
Wrong ¿La carta y los libros? Veo la mañana y voy a comprar los después.
Right ¿La carta y los libros? La veo mañana y voy a comprarlos después.
A clitic precedes a finite verb or attaches to an infinitive as one written word.
Challenge: apply every rule
Solve every case and justify each choice: 1) A proposed answer is “lo” for this case: “Use the red letter: ¿La carta? Sí, lo envié ayer.”. Choose the only valid form. 2) A proposed answer is “las guardar” for this case: “Use the two green keys and the backpack: ¿Las llaves? Voy a las guardar en la mochila.”. Choose the only valid form. 3) Replace A Elena di el libro with two object pronouns.
Answer available without interaction
- Choose a complete direct or indirect object pronoun by person, gender, number and role.
- Place an object pronoun before a finite verb or attach it to an infinitive or gerund.
- Order two object pronouns and replace le/les with se before lo/la/los/las.
Answer: la · guardarlas · Se lo di.
“La carta” is the feminine singular thing directly sent, so it becomes the direct-object pronoun “la”. The feminine plural direct object is “las”. With the infinitive it attaches as one word: “guardarlas”. Le changes to se before lo, and the indirect pronoun precedes the direct pronoun.
Curriculum alignment and sources
- A2 reference and transactional exchanges motivate pronoun economy; the lesson order is editorial. · CEFR descriptors search
- A2 lists OD and OI clitic paradigms, proclisis/enclisis, alternation with common verbal constructions and le/les to se before a direct-object clitic. · ic-pcic-grammar-a1-a2
Continue along this corridor
Practise this: “Lo”, “la”, “le” — and they go in frontPractise this: “Veo a María”: the “a” that English cannot seeMe gusta: the sentence turns roundReflexive and pronominal verbs: keep the pronoun with its personThe preterite: place a finished event on the timeline