Direct Object Pronouns in Spanish

Direct object pronouns replace the person or thing that directly receives the action of a verb.

• Compro el libro. → Lo compro. — I buy it.
• Veo a Ana. → La veo. — I see her.

Direct object pronouns

Direct object	Pronoun
me	me
you	te
him / it	lo
her / it	la
us	nos
you all	os
them	los / las

Lo, la, los, and las agree in gender and number with the noun they replace:

• el libro → lo
• la camisa → la
• los billetes → los
• las entradas → las

Where does the pronoun go?

With a conjugated verb, put the pronoun before the verb:

Lo quiero.

I want it.

La conozco.

I know her.

Las compré ayer.

I bought them yesterday.

With a conjugated verb + infinitive, both positions are possible:

• Lo quiero comprar.
• Quiero comprarlo.

Both mean “I want to buy it.”

With the present progressive, the same rule applies:

• Lo estoy leyendo.
• Estoy leyéndolo.

Both mean “I am reading it.”

Direct objects referring to people

People can also be direct objects. The original sentence normally uses the personal a, but it disappears when the person is replaced by a pronoun.

• Veo a Carlos. → Lo veo.
• Llamo a Ana. → La llamo.
• Conozco a tus padres. → Los conozco.

How to identify the direct object

Ask what? or whom? receives the action.

Ana compra el libro.

What does Ana buy? → el libro → lo

→ Ana lo compra.

Veo a Marta.

Whom do I see? → Marta → la

→ La veo.

Direct and indirect object pronouns together

A direct object pronoun can also appear together with an indirect object pronoun:

• Doy el libro a Ana. → Se lo doy.

When both are used, the indirect object pronoun comes first. See Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns Together for the full rule.

Quick rule

Replace the direct object with:

lo → masculine singular
la → feminine singular
los → masculine plural
las → feminine plural

Then put the pronoun before a conjugated verb:

• Compro el libro. → Lo compro.
• Veo a Ana. → La veo.
• Necesito las llaves. → Las necesito.