Introduction
| pronoun | meaning |
|---|---|
| me | me |
| te | you (informal) |
| lo | him, it (masculine), you (formal, masculine) |
| la | her, it (feminine), you (formal, feminine) |
| nos | us |
| os | you all (Spain) |
| los | them (masculine or mixed), you all |
| las | them (feminine), you all (feminine) |
A direct object pronoun replaces the thing or person that receives the action. It goes right before a conjugated verb.
- ¿El libro? Lo tengo.The book? I have it.
- ¿La pizza? La como ahora.The pizza? I'm eating it now.
- ¿Me ves? Sí, te veo.Can you see me? Yes, I see you.
- No los conozco.I don't know them.
Position with Infinitives, Gerunds and Commands
With an infinitive or a gerund, the pronoun can go before the conjugated verb or attach to the end. With an affirmative command it must attach. With a negative command it goes before.
| form | pronoun before | pronoun attached |
|---|---|---|
| infinitive | Lo voy a comprar. | Voy a comprarlo. |
| gerund | La estoy leyendo. | Estoy leyéndola. |
| affirmative command | - | Cómelo. |
| negative command | No lo comas. | - |
- Lo cómpralo.Cómpralo.
- Estoy leyendola.Estoy leyéndola.
Lo for an Idea
Lo can also stand for a whole idea or statement. In this use it never changes.
- -¿Sabes que se casaron? -Sí, ya lo sé.Yes, I already know.
- -¿Está cansada? -Sí, lo está.Yes, she is.
Leísmo
In much of Spain, le is used instead of lo for a male person: Le vi ayer. This is accepted for men, but lo is correct everywhere. Using le for things is always wrong.
- Lo vi ayer.I saw him yesterday. Correct everywhere.
- Le vi ayer.Common in Spain for a man.
- ¿El coche? Le compré ayer.Lo compré ayer.
Practice
¿La pizza? ___ como ahora.
¿Los libros? No ___ tengo.
¿Me escuchas? Sí, ___ escucho.
¿Conoces a Marta y a Lucía? Sí, ___ conozco.
Which is correct?
Estoy ___. (reading it, the book)
¿El pan? ¡___! (Eat it!)
¿El pan? No ___. (Don't eat it!)
-¿Sabes dónde vive? -No, no ___ sé.
¿El coche? ___ compré ayer.
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