Table of Contents

• First, A Quick Refresher
  • Direct Object Pronouns (DOPs)
  • Indirect Object Pronouns (IOPs)
• The Main Event: Putting Pronouns Together
  • The Golden Rule: Indirect Before Direct (The I-D Rule)
• The "Le Lo" Problem and the "Se" Solution
  • The Ambiguity of "Se"
• Where to Place Double Object Pronouns
  • 1. Before a Conjugated Verb
  • 2. Attached to an Infinitive
  • 3. Attached to a Gerund (-ando, -iendo)
  • 4. With Commands
• Let's Practice!
• You've Got This!

Spanish Double Object Pronouns: A B1 Guide to Using Them Together

Ever found yourself in a verbal traffic jam, trying to say something like "I gave it to her" in Spanish? You know the individual pronouns, but putting them together feels like a puzzle. You might say something like, "Yo di el libro a ella," which is grammatically okay, but sounds a bit clunky to a native speaker.

What if you could say it in just three words? Se lo di.

Welcome to the world of double object pronouns! Mastering this concept is a huge leap forward in your Spanish journey. It's the secret to sounding more natural, speaking more efficiently, and understanding native speakers with ease. It might seem tricky at first, but by the end of this guide, you'll be weaving them into your sentences like a pro.

Let's untangle this grammar knot together!

Untangling the grammar knot

First, A Quick Refresher

Before we combine them, let's quickly review what direct and indirect object pronouns do on their own.

Direct Object Pronouns (DOPs)

These answer the question "what?" or "whom?" the verb is acting on. They replace the direct object noun to avoid repetition.

• ¿Ves el coche? (Do you see the car?) -> Sí, lo veo. (Yes, I see it.)
• ¿Compraste las flores? (Did you buy the flowers?) -> Sí, las compré. (Yes, I bought them.)

Here's the full set:

Person	Singular	Plural
1st Person	me (me)	nos (us)
2nd Person	te (you, informal)	os (you all, informal)
3rd Person	lo, la (him, her, it, you formal)	los, las (them, you all formal)

Indirect Object Pronouns (IOPs)

These answer the question "to whom?" or "for whom?" the action is done. They replace the indirect object noun.

• Le doy el regalo a mi madre. (I give the gift to my mother.) -> Le doy el regalo. (I give the gift to her.)
• Nos compró café para nosotros. (He bought coffee for us.) -> Nos compró café. (He bought coffee for us.)

And here's their chart:

Person	Singular	Plural
1st Person	me (to/for me)	nos (to/for us)
2nd Person	te (to/for you, informal)	os (to/for you all, informal)
3rd Person	le (to/for him, her, it, you formal)	les (to/for them, you all formal)

The Main Event: Putting Pronouns Together

Okay, you're all warmed up. Now for the fun part. When you have both a direct and an indirect object in the same sentence, you can replace both with pronouns to be super efficient.

Consider this sentence:

• Yo doy el libro a ti. (I give the book to you.)

We can replace "el libro" (the what) with lo, and "a ti" (the to whom) with te. But in what order do they go?

The Golden Rule: Indirect Before Direct (The I-D Rule)

This is the most important rule you need to remember. In Spanish, the Indirect Object Pronoun always comes before the Direct Object Pronoun.

Let's apply this to our example:

• Yo doy el libro a ti.
• Indirect (a ti) -> te
• Direct (el libro) -> lo
• Combine them with the I-D rule: te lo
• The final sentence: Yo te lo doy. (I give it to you.)

See how smooth that is? Let's try another one.

• Mi abuela prepara la cena para nosotros. (My grandmother prepares dinner for us.)
• Indirect (para nosotros) -> nos
• Direct (la cena) -> la
• Combine them: nos la
• The final sentence: Mi abuela nos la prepara. (My grandmother prepares it for us.)

The "Le Lo" Problem and the "Se" Solution

Achieving seamless flow in conversation

You're feeling confident. You've got the I-D rule down. So you try this:

• Doy el libro a Carlos. (I give the book to Carlos.)
• Indirect (a Carlos) -> le
• Direct (el libro) -> lo
• Combine them: le lo... wait.

If you say "le lo doy," a Spanish speaker will understand, but it will sound very strange. The "L-L" sound combination (le lo, le la, les los, etc.) is considered awkward and is always avoided.

Here's the fix: Whenever the indirect object pronoun le or les comes before the direct object pronoun lo, la, los, or las, you must change le or les to se.

Let's break down the transformation:

1. Original Sentence: Compré un regalogift para mi amiga. (I bought a gift for my friend.)
2. With IOP: Le compré un regalo. (I bought a gift for her.)
3. With both pronouns (the wrong way): Le lo compré.
4. Applying the 'se' rule: Change le to se.
5. The correct sentence: Se lo compré. (I bought it for her.)

This rule applies to les as well:

• Escribí unas cartas para mis padres. (I wrote some letters for my parents.)
• Les escribí unas cartas.
• Les las escribí. -> Se las escribí. (I wrote them for them.)

The Ambiguity of "Se"

Now you might be thinking, "Wait a minute. If se can replace both le and les, how do I know who we're talking about?"

• Se lo di. could mean:
  • I gave it to him.
  • I gave it to her.
  • I gave it to you (formal).
  • I gave it to them (masculine or mixed).
  • I gave it to them (feminine).
  • I gave it to you all.

That's a lot of possibilities! You're right, se is ambiguous on its own. Context is your best friend here. If it's not clear from the conversation, you can add a prepositional phrase at the end for clarification.

• Se lo di a él. (I gave it to him.)
• Se lo di a ella. (I gave it to her.)
• Se lo di a usted. (I gave it to you (formal).)
• Se lo di a ellos. (I gave it to them.)
• Se lo di a ustedes. (I gave it to you all.)

Where to Place Double Object Pronouns

Understanding the different paths for pronoun placement

Now that you know the order and the se rule, the final piece of the puzzle is where to put this pair of pronouns in a sentence. You have a few options depending on the verb structure.

1. Before a Conjugated Verb

This is the most common placement. The two pronouns go directly before the verb that is conjugated.

• Te lo compro. (I buy it for you.)
• Se la enviamos. (We send it to her/him/them.)
• ¿Me los traes? (Do you bring them to me?)

2. Attached to an Infinitive

When you have a verb phrase with an infinitive (a verb ending in -ar, -er, or -ir), you have two choices: a) Place the pronouns before the entire verb phrase. b) Attach the pronouns to the end of the infinitive.

Both are correct!

• Sentence: Voy a dar el libro a ti. (I am going to give the book to you.)
• Pronouns: te, lo
• Option A: Te lo voy a dar.
• Option B: Voy a dártelo.

Notice that when you attach the pronouns, you often need to add an accent mark to the infinitive to maintain the original stress of the word. The stress usually falls on the vowel of the original infinitive ending (dar, comer, vivir).

Both mean "I want to buy it for him/her/them."

3. Attached to a Gerund (-ando, -iendo)

Similar to infinitives, if you have a verb in the present progressive (estar + gerund), you have two choices: a) Place the pronouns before estar. b) Attach them to the end of the gerund.

• Sentence: Estoy escribiendo la carta a ti. (I am writing the letter to you.)
• Pronouns: te, la
• Option A: Te la estoy escribiendo.
• Option B: Estoy escribiéndotela.

Again, watch out for that accent mark! You need it to keep the stress in the right place.

4. With Commands

Commands have stricter rules.

Positive Commands: The pronouns must be attached to the end of the command.

• ¡Dime la verdad! (Tell me the truth!) -> ¡Dímela! (Tell it to me!)
• ¡Compra el boletoticket para mí! (Buy the ticket for me!) -> ¡Cómpramelo! (Buy it for me!)
• ¡Entregue los papeles a él! (Hand in the papers to him!) -> ¡Entrégueselos! (Hand them in to him!)

Negative Commands: The pronouns must go before the verb, after the "no".

• No me digas la mentira. (Don't tell me the lie.) -> No me la digas. (Don't tell it to me.)
• No le des el dinero a él. (Don't give the money to him.) -> No se lo des. (Don't give it to him.)

Let's Practice!

Time to test your new skills. Choose the correct option for each sentence.

You've Got This!

Phew, that was a lot, but you made it! Combining direct and indirect object pronouns is one of the trickier parts of B1 Spanish, but it's also one of the most rewarding.

Let's quickly recap the key takeaways:

1. The I-D Rule: Indirect pronouns always come before Direct pronouns.
2. The "Se" Change: When le or les meets lo, la, los, or las, the le/les magically transforms into se.
3. Placement is Key: You can place the pronoun pair before a conjugated verb or attach it to infinitives, gerunds, and positive commands.

Don't worry if it doesn't feel natural right away. The more you listen to native speakers and the more you practice, the more these little pronoun pairs will start to roll off your tongue. ¡Puedes hacerlo!