Lesson 1.5 · Unit 1 · Structures
Who receives, who is pleased
Pronouns carry most of the meaning in everyday Spanish. A sentence about giving, telling, liking or missing often has two of them, and both must be the right form in the right place. In the subjunctive units the pronouns will be everywhere, so this lesson reviews the direct and indirect pronouns, the combination se lo, and the verbs that work backward, like gustar.
- Direct object pronouns answer "what?" or "whom?" me, te, lo, la, nos, los, las. Veo el libro → Lo veo. Llamo a Ana → La llamo.
- Indirect object pronouns answer "to whom?" or "for whom?" me, te, le, nos, les. Doy un regalo a mi madre → Le doy un regalo.
- Two pronouns together: indirect first. Me lo dio. Te la compro. The indirect pronoun comes first and the direct second, with nothing between them.
- Le and les become se before lo, la, los, las. Le doy el libro → Se lo doy. Never le lo.
- Placement. Before a conjugated verb, or attached to an infinitive, a participle or an affirmative command: Quiero dártelo. Lo estoy leyendo. Dímelo.
- Gustar and its family work backward. Me gusta el café. Me gustan las clases. The thing liked is the subject, so the verb agrees with it. Same pattern: encantar, interesar, molestar, importar, faltar, doler, parecer.
- Clarify with a plus the person. A mi hermano le gustan los deportes. A ustedes les encanta bailar. The pronoun stays even when the person is named.
- The personal a. Veo a mi profesora. Busco a mi perro. Busco un libro. A specific person or a pet takes a, and a thing does not.
Where students lose marks: Writing le lo for se lo, putting the direct pronoun first (lo me dio), dropping the pronoun when the person is named (A Ana gusta bailar), and agreeing gustar with the person instead of the thing. Find the subject: it is the thing liked.
The problem. Write six sentences with pronouns: (1) I give the book to her. (2) I give it to her. (3) My brother likes sports. (4) We love to dance. (5) Her feet hurt. (6) I want to tell it to you (informal), but I can't.
Step one: sentence 1. The indirect object is "her": Le doy el libro.
Step two: sentence 2. Replace "the book" with the direct pronoun and le becomes se: Se lo doy.
Step three: sentence 3. The thing liked is los deportes, plural, and the person is named, so a plus the pronoun: A mi hermano le gustan los deportes.
Step four: sentence 4. The thing loved is the infinitive bailar, which takes a singular verb: Nos encanta bailar.
Step five: sentence 5. Doler works backward, with the thing hurting as the subject: Le duelen los pies.
Step six: sentence 6. Two pronouns attached to the infinitive, with the accent: Quiero decírtelo, pero no puedo.
Step seven: se. In sentence 2 the form is se lo and never le lo, because two pronouns beginning with l cannot stand together.
Step eight: check. Indirect before direct, se before lo, a pronoun for every sentence about liking or hurting, and an accent on decírtelo.
Problems 1 to 5 are routine. Problems 6 to 10 are multi-step or ask for reasoning.
- Replace the noun: Veo a mis primos todos los domingos.
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Mis primos is masculine plural and a direct object. Los veo todos los domingos.
- Replace both nouns: Doy el regalo a mi madre.
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Indirect becomes le, and then se before lo. Se lo doy.
- Say "I like the classes."
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The classes are plural, and the thing liked is the subject. Me gustan las clases.
- Say "My sister loves to read."
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With a named person, add a and the pronoun. A mi hermana le encanta leer.
- Complete: A nosotros ___ (faltar) dos horas para terminar.
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Two hours is the subject, plural. nos faltan
- Say "I want to give it to you" (informal) in two ways.
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Both pronouns go before quiero or after the infinitive. Te lo quiero dar. Quiero dártelo.
- Say "They are showing it to us."
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Two pronouns, indirect first, with the progressive. Nos lo están mostrando. Están mostrándonoslo.
- Find and fix the errors: Le lo doy a ella. A Ana gusta las flores. Voy a comprarte lo.
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Le lo becomes se lo, gustar needs the pronoun and a plural verb, and pronouns attach as one word. Se lo doy a ella. A Ana le gustan las flores. Voy a comprártelo.
- Explain the difference between Busco a mi hermano and Busco un libro.
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A specific person takes the personal a and a thing does not. The personal a marks a specific person.
- Write three sentences about what you and your family like, using three different verbs like gustar.
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One correct answer: A mi padre le interesa la historia. A mis hermanos les encantan los videojuegos. A mí me molesta el ruido. A mi padre le interesa la historia. A mis hermanos les encantan los videojuegos. A mí me molesta el ruido.