Direct and indirect objects in Spanish

By Marta Díaz on Thursday, September 19, 2024

When learning Spanish, one of the fundamental topics you must master is the use of direct objects and indirect objects. These grammatical structures are essential for building more precise and natural sentences when speaking Spanish.

In this article, you will find a precise and simple explanation of what these Spanish objects are, how they differ and how to use them correctly, as well as practical examples to understand how they work.

What is the direct object in Spanish?

The Spanish direct object is the element of the sentence that directly receives the action of the verb. You can identify it in a sentence if you ask the verb “¿qué?” (what) or “¿a quién?” (to whom). In addition, the direct object in Spanish is usually a noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb without an intermediary.

For example: “Juan compra un libro” (Juan buys a book)

If we ask ¿qué compra Juan? (what does Juan buy?), the answer is “un libro” (a book). Therefore, the book is the direct object of this sentence.

It can also be the case of using pronouns to replace the direct object. In this case, the pronouns change according to the gender and number of the noun. The direct object pronouns in Spanish are:

• Me (for me)
• Te (for you)
• Lo/La (for him/her)
• Nos (for us)
• Os (for you)
• Los /Las (for them)

An example of a direct object with pronouns would be: “Juan compra un libro” ➝ “Juan lo compra”.

In this sentence 'un libro' is replaced by 'lo', a masculine singular direct object pronoun.

What is the indirect object in Spanish?

The Spanish indirect object indicates who benefits or harms from the action of the verb or to whom the action is directed. To identify the indirect object, you can ask '¿a quién?' (to whom) or '¿para quién?' (for whom) in the sentence.

For example, in the sentence “María escribe una carta a su madre” (Mary writes a letter to her mother). If we ask "¿a quién escribe María?" (to whom does Maria write the letter?), the answer is “a su madre” (to her mother). Here, her mother is the indirect object because she is the person who receives the letter.

As direct objects, Spanish indirect objects can also be pronouns. These are the indirect objects pronouns in Spanish:

• Me (for me)
• Te (for you)
• Le (for him/her)
• Nos (for us)
• Os (for you)
• Les (for them)

The pronouns of both objects are the same, except for the third person singular and plural.

An example with pronouns of the indirect object in Spanish: "María escribe una carta a su madre" ➝ "María le escribe una carta". In this sentence “a su amdre” (to her mother) is being replaced by “le”, an indirect object pronoun in Spanish.

Differences between Spanish direct and indirect objects

Once you have understood what the function of each one is, it is necessary to know their differences. The main difference lies in the type of relationship that objects have with the verb.

The Spanish direct object directly receives the action of the verb. While the Spanish indirect object is the addressee or beneficiary of the action.

Another difference is the type of verb that each object affects. Direct objects only appear with transitive verbs, those that need an object to complete their meaning. Indirect objects can be accompanied by both transitive and intransitive Spanish verbs, although this is not always necessary.

For example, in the sentence: “Yo regalo flores a mi madre” (I give flowers to my mother):

• Flores (flowers) is the Spanish direct object (¿Qué regalo? Answer: flores)
• A mi madre (to my mother) is the Spanish indirect object (¿A quién regalo flores? Answer: a mi madre)

These examples will help you see how objetcs work depending on the verb that accompanies them:

• María tiene un gato (Maria has a cat) ➝ "un gato" is direct object
• Le di un regalo a Ana (I gave a present to Ana) ➝ "a Ana", indirect object
• Se me cayó el vaso (I dropped my glass) ➝ there is no direct object, but there is an indirect object: "me".

The use of direct and indirect object pronouns in Spanish

On many occasions, you will find sentences in which both a direct and an indirect object are used. In these cases, the direct and indirect object pronouns in Spanish can appear together in the sentence.

Rules for the use of both pronouns:

• The Spanish indirect object pronoun (me, te, le, nos, nos, os, les) goes before the direct object pronoun (lo, la, los, las).
• When the Spanish indirect pronoun is “le” or “les” and is combined with “lo/la/los/los/las”; these are transformed into the pronoun 'se'.

Example above: “Yo regalo flores a mi madre”.

• Las flores (Spanish direct object) ➝ las
• A mi madre (Spanish indirect object) ➝ "le", but when it goes together with the direct object "las", it changes to "se".

Therefore, the final sentence would be: “Yo se las regalo”. Here “le” is replaced by “se” (a mi madre), and “las” replaces “las flores”.

Here are more examples with direct and indirect objects in Spanish:

• Pedro da el libro a su hermana (Pedro gives the book to his sister)

Spanish direct object: el libro (¿Qué da Pedro? - What does Pedro give?)

Spanish indirect object: a su hermana (to his sister) (¿A quién da el libro? - To whom does he give the book?)

With pronouns: Pedro se lo da (Pedro gives it to her).

• María compra un regalo a su padre (Maria buys a gift for her father)

Spanish direct object: un regalo (a gift) (¿Qué compra María? - What does Maria buy?)

Spanish indirect object: para su padre (for her father) (¿Para quién compra el regalo? - Who is she buying the gift for?)

With pronouns: María se lo compra (Maria buys it for him).

• Ellos preparan la cena para nosotros (They prepare dinner for us)

Spanish direct object: la cena (the dinner) (¿Qué preparan? - What are they preparing?)

Spanish indirect object: para nosotros (for us) (¿Para quién preparan? - For whom do they prepare?)

With pronouns: Ellos nos la preparan (They prepare it for us).

Understanding the difference between the direct and indirect object in Spanish is crucial to improving your Spanish grammar. So, using the right pronouns will make your sentences sound more natural and fluent.

Remember, with constant practice, you will master the use of objects in Spanish, and if you find it too difficult, you can always sign up for a Spanish course in Spain with Enforex.