Combine object pronouns clearly

What you’ll learn

• Order an indirect object before a direct object.
• Apply le/les → se before lo/la/los/las.
• Place a pronoun pair with an infinitive or command.

Recipient before the thing

Start with Le doy el libro a Ana. Replacing el libro as well gives Se lo doy a Ana. The indirect-object pronoun comes before the direct-object pronoun. When le or les would come directly before lo, la, los or las, it changes to se. This avoids combinations such as le lo; it does not change the recipient's identity.

Se in this combination does not show whether the recipient is singular or plural. Clarify with a Ana or a mis amigos when necessary. The direct-object pronoun still follows the thing's gender and number: Se las doy can refer to giving las llaves. Do not make las agree with the recipients instead of the keys.

Move the pair together

With a simple conjugated verb, both pronouns precede it: Se lo doy. With a verb plus infinitive, put the pair before the conjugated verb or attach both to the infinitive: Se lo voy a dar or Voy a dárselo. Keep the pair together instead of splitting it around the verbs.

Positive commands attach the pronouns: Dáselo. Negative commands place them before the verb: No se lo des. Written accents keep the intended stress when pronouns are attached. These are grammatical exercises, so explain the roles explicitly before shortening a sentence; an unclear pronoun chain can be harder to understand than repeating a noun.

Useful vocabulary

enviar

to send

explicar

to explain

todavía

still / yet

Common mistakes

• Replace le lo and les lo with se lo.
• The direct object agrees with the thing replaced, not the recipient.
• Do not split the pronoun pair across a verb phrase.

Keep these ideas

• The indirect object precedes the direct object.
• Le/les becomes se before lo/la/los/las.
• Keep the pair together and preserve written stress marks.

Use it in your life

Write a short exchange about passing a book or sending photos. State the objects first, then replace them only when the references are clear.

Read it in context

Look for this lesson’s ideas in a complete Spanish story. Read the passage first, then use its translations to check your understanding.