Unit 7: Pronouns (Part 2), introduction to the preterit, and comparisons
7.1 Direct Object Pronouns
Direct object pronouns in Spanish are as follows:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| me (me) | nos (us) |
| te (you-fam. s.) | os (you-fam. pl. [Spain only]) |
| lo, la (him, her, it, you-form. s.) | los, las (them, you-form. pl.) |
Direct object pronouns are routinely placed immediately before a conjugated verb:
| Victor me ve en la plaza todos los días. | Victor sees me on the square every day. |
| –¿Tu cuaderno? No lo veo. | “Your notebook? I don’t see it.” |
Direct object pronouns agree in number and gender with the noun to which they refer:
| No sé dónde están tus anteojos. Yo no los tengo. | I don’t know where your glasses are. I don’t have them. |
| ¿La chica? No la conozco. | “The girl? I don’t know her.” |
Direct object pronouns may be attached to the infinitive or precede the conjugated verb. “I am going to see her,” for example, may be seen as Voy a verla or La voy a ver.
Note about le and les as direct object pronouns
The third-person indirect object pronouns le and les mean “him” and “them” (masc.) and refer only to male persons. They tend to be more common as direct objects in speech and texts from Spain (called leísmo), but are now seen in the entire Spanish-speaking world.
| No le veo en el cuarto. | I don’t see him in the room. |
| –¿Les llamaste? | “Did you call them?” |
