Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns Together
Learn how to use direct and indirect object pronouns together in Spanish, including pronoun order and when le and les change to se.
Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns Together
When a direct and an indirect object pronoun appear together, the indirect object pronoun comes first.
Doy el libro a Ana.
I give the book to Ana.
Se lo doy.
I give it to her.
Here, lo replaces el libro and se replaces le (a Ana).
Pronoun order
The basic order is:
indirect object + direct object + verb
Note: Le and les change to se only when they come before lo, la, los, or las. When used without a direct object pronoun, they remain le or les.
| Indirect | Direct |
|---|---|
| me | lo / la / los / las |
| te | lo / la / los / las |
| le → se | lo / la / los / las |
| nos | lo / la / los / las |
| os | lo / la / los / las |
| les → se | lo / la / los / las |
Examples:
Me lo da.
He / She gives it to me.
Te la envío.
I send it to you.
Nos los enseñan.
They show them to us.
Se las compré.
I bought them for him / her / them.
Le and les become se
Before lo, la, los, or las, le and les change to se.
le / les + lo / la / los / las → se + lo / la / los / las
- Le doy el libro. → Se lo doy.
- Le envío la foto. → Se la envío.
- Les compro los billetes. → Se los compro.
❌ Le lo doy.
✅ Se lo doy.
Here, se can refer to him, her, you, or them. Add a + person when the context is unclear:
Se lo doy a Ana.
I give it to Ana.
Se lo doy a mis padres.
I give it to my parents.
Where do the pronouns go?
With a conjugated verb, put both pronouns before the verb:
Se lo doy.
I give it to him / her / them.
With an infinitive, either put them before the conjugated verb or attach them to the infinitive:
- Se lo quiero dar.
- Quiero dárselo.
With the present progressive, the same two positions are possible:
- Se lo estoy explicando.
- Estoy explicándoselo.
When pronouns are attached, a written accent may be needed to preserve the original stress.
How to choose the pronouns
Identify what is affected and to whom / for whom.
Ana da las llaves a Marta.
- What? → las llaves → direct object → las
- To whom? → a Marta → indirect object → le → se
→ Ana se las da.
For more detail, see Direct Object Pronouns and Indirect Object Pronouns.
Quick rule
indirect + direct + verb
- me lo
- te la
- nos los
- os las
But le / les becomes se before lo, la, los, or las:
- Le doy el libro. → Se lo doy.
- Les envío las fotos. → Se las envío.