What are Spanish indirect object pronouns?

Pronouns indicating TO WHOM or FOR WHOM the action is done: me, te, le, nos, os, les. Le doy el libro = I give the book to him. Used with verbs of giving, saying, showing, sending, and gustar-type verbs.

What's the difference between le and lo?

Lo = direct object pronoun (him / it). Le = indirect object pronoun (to him / her). Lo veo = I see him. Le doy = I give to him. In Spain, leísmo allows le for masc. human direct objects, but the standard distinction is lo (DO) vs. le (IO).

Why does le become se?

When le / les precedes lo / la / los / las (e.g., I give IT TO HIM), le / les changes to se to avoid the clumsy *le lo. Se lo doy is correct; *le lo doy is not allowed. Same rule for plural: les + lo → se lo.

How can I master indirect object pronouns?

Drill the se-substitution rule (le / les + lo / la → se + lo / la). Practice gustar-type verbs (me gusta, te encantan, le interesa). Read Spanish dialogue to see natural placement. Parrot's videos show real conversations with object pronouns in context.

Spanish grammar · Intermediate

Spanish Indirect Object Pronouns: 40+ Examples

Written by Sofia Ramirez, Lead Spanish Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Spanish indirect object pronouns (me, te, le, nos, os, les) mark to whom / for whom. Le doy el libro = I give the book TO HIM. When combined with direct object pronouns (le + lo / la), le becomes se: Se lo doy. 40+ examples here.

Le doy el libro. Me dijo la verdad.

I give him the book. He told me the truth.

What it is

Indirect object pronouns (me, te, le, nos, os, les) indicate TO WHOM or FOR WHOM the action is done. Le doy el libro = I give the book TO HIM. They're placed like direct object pronouns: before conjugated verbs, attached to infinitives / gerunds / affirmative commands.

Le compré flores a María (I bought flowers FOR María). Le = indirect object pronoun (to / for her). María is clarified by 'a María.' The pronoun le is still required.

How to spot it

Indirect object pronouns answer to whom? for whom? Me (to me), te (to you), le (to him / her / you formal), nos (to us), os (to you all, Spain), les (to them / you all formal). Notice that le serves both masc. and fem. (no distinction).

Me dijo la verdad. — He told me the truth.
Le doy el libro. — I give him the book.
Les escribimos cartas. — We write them letters.

Even when the indirect object is explicitly mentioned (a María, a Juan, a mis padres), Spanish still requires the pronoun: Le doy el libro a María (NOT just *Doy el libro a María).

Spanish Indirect Object Pronoun Examples Quick Reference

Indirect object pronouns

Pronoun	Meaning	Example
me	to / for me	Me lo da
te	to / for you (informal)	Te lo doy
le	to / for him / her / you (formal)	Le doy un libro
nos	to / for us	Nos lo dice
os	to / for you all (Spain inf.)	Os lo explico
les	to / for them / you all (formal)	Les escribo cartas
Special: le + lo / la → se + lo / la	Avoids *le lo	Se lo doy
Special: les + lo / la → se + lo / la	Avoids *les lo	Se las explico

Common Spanish Indirect Object Pronoun Examples Examples in Spanish

Indirect object pronouns in real contexts:

Basic Use (Giving / Telling / Sending)

Le doy el libro.: I give him / her the book.
Me dijo la verdad.: He told me the truth.
Te mando un mensaje.: I'm sending you a message.
Nos escribió una carta.: He wrote us a letter.
Les enseñé las fotos.: I showed them the photos.
¿Le explicas el problema?: Will you explain the problem to him / her?
Os contamos una historia. (Spain): We tell you all a story.

Common verbs of giving / telling / sending almost always take indirect objects. The pronoun is required even when the recipient is mentioned explicitly.

Required Even with Explicit Recipient

Le doy el libro a María.: I give the book to María.
Le compré flores a mi madre.: I bought flowers for my mother.
Les enseño español a mis hijos.: I teach Spanish to my kids.
Le presté dinero a Juan.: I lent money to Juan.
Les mandé regalos a mis sobrinos.: I sent gifts to my nephews.
¿Le preguntaste a tu profesor?: Did you ask your teacher?
Le voy a comprar un regalo a mi novia.: I'm going to buy my girlfriend a gift.

Spanish ALWAYS uses the indirect object pronoun, even when the recipient is named with a + person. This 'pronoun doubling' is grammatically required, not optional.

With Gustar-Type Verbs (Reverse Structure)

Me gusta el café.: I like coffee. (lit. coffee pleases me)
Te encantan las películas.: You love movies.
Le interesa el arte.: Art interests him / her.
Nos molesta el ruido.: The noise bothers us.
Les fascina la historia.: History fascinates them.
Me importa la familia.: Family matters to me.
Te conviene descansar.: It suits you to rest.

Gustar-type verbs (gustar, encantar, interesar, molestar, fascinar, importar, convenir) use indirect object pronouns. The Spanish structure: pronoun + verb + subject. The 'liker' is the indirect object, not the subject.

Combined with Direct Object Pronouns

Me lo da.: He gives it to me.
Te la mandé.: I sent it to you.
Nos los explicó.: He explained them to us.
Os las llevamos. (Spain): We're taking them to you all.
Se lo dije. (le + lo > se lo): I told him / her / them.
Se las regalé. (les + las > se las): I gave them to them.
Se lo voy a comprar.: I'm going to buy it for him / her.

When both pronouns appear: IO before DO. Special rule: le / les + lo / la / los / las → se + lo / la / los / las to avoid clumsy *le lo. The se can be ambiguous (him / her / them / you formal), so often clarified with a + person.

Placement (Same as Direct Object Pronouns)

Le doy el libro. (before conjugated): I give him the book.
Voy a darle el libro / Le voy a dar el libro.: I'm going to give him the book.
Estoy dándole el libro / Le estoy dando el libro.: I'm giving him the book.
¡Dale el libro! (attached to aff. command): Give him the book!
¡No le des el libro! (before neg. command): Don't give him the book!
Quiero decirles algo / Les quiero decir algo.: I want to tell them something.
Sigo escribiéndoles cartas.: I keep writing them letters.

Same placement rules as direct object pronouns: before conjugated verbs, attached to infinitives / gerunds / affirmative commands, before negative commands, movable with verb + infinitive / gerund.

Common Verbs That Take Indirect Objects

Le pregunté la dirección.: I asked him the address.
Me prestaste tu coche.: You lent me your car.
Le contestó al maestro.: He answered the teacher.
Les recomendé un libro.: I recommended a book to them.
Me ofreció ayuda.: He offered me help.
Le pagué cien euros.: I paid him a hundred euros.
Le envíé un email.: I sent him an email.

Verbs that frequently take indirect objects: dar (give), decir (tell / say), enviar / mandar (send), escribir (write), explicar (explain), preguntar (ask), prestar (lend), regalar (give as gift), recomendar (recommend), pagar (pay), ofrecer (offer), enseñar (teach), comprar (buy for).

How to Use Indirect Object Pronouns

Le and Les: Gender-Neutral

Unlike direct object pronouns (lo / la, los / las), indirect object pronouns le and les don't distinguish masc. / fem. Le = to him / to her / to you (formal). Les = to them / to you all (formal). Context or 'a + person' clarifies.

Le = to him/her. Les = to them/you all.

Gender-neutral.

Le / les don't differ by gender.

Pronoun Required Even with Explicit Object

Spanish requires the indirect object pronoun even when the recipient is explicitly named: Le doy el libro A MARÍA (NOT just *Doy el libro a María). This 'redundant' pronoun is grammatically required.

Le doy el libro a María.

Pronoun required.

Always include the pronoun.

When Both IO + DO Pronouns Appear

IO comes BEFORE DO: me lo da, te la mandé, nos los explicó. With third person: le / les + lo / la / los / las → SE + lo / la / los / las (Se lo doy, NOT *Le lo doy). The se replaces le / les before lo / la.

Me lo da. Se lo doy (le + lo > se lo).

IO before DO.

IO before DO; le → se.

Gustar-Type Verbs Use Indirect Objects

Verbs like gustar, encantar, molestar, interesar use indirect object pronouns. Me gusta el café = literally 'coffee pleases me.' The 'liker' is the indirect object; the 'liked thing' is the subject.

Me gusta. Te encantan. Le importa.

Gustar = IO + verb + subject.

Gustar = IO structure.

Common Mistakes with Spanish Indirect Object Pronoun Examples

Incorrect: Doy el libro a María. — I give María the book.

Correct: Le doy el libro a María. — I give María the book.

Even when the indirect object is named (a María), Spanish requires the pronoun le. Without it, the sentence is grammatically incomplete.

Incorrect: Le lo doy. — I give it to him / her.

Correct: Se lo doy. — I give it to him / her.

When le or les is followed by lo / la / los / las, le / les MUST change to se. *Le lo is not allowed. Se lo doy is correct.

Incorrect: Yo gusto el café. — I like coffee.

Correct: Me gusta el café. — I like coffee.

Gustar uses the reverse structure of English 'like.' Literally, the coffee pleases me. Use indirect object pronoun: me gusta (NOT yo gusto). Subject is the thing liked.

Le / Les → Se Before Lo / La / Los / Las

The Se-Substitution Rule

When indirect object le / les precedes direct object lo / la / los / las, le / les changes to se. This avoids the awkward *le lo / *les la. The substitution doesn't change meaning; it's purely phonological. Se can be ambiguous (him / her / them / you formal), so 'a + person' is often added.

Le doy el libro → Se lo doy.: I give him the book → I give it to him.
Les explico el problema → Se lo explico.: I explain it to them.
Le mandé las flores → Se las mandé.: I sent them to her.
Les compré los libros → Se los compré.: I bought them the books.
Se lo dije a Juan. (clarification with a + person): I told him (Juan).
Se la regalé a mis tíos.: I gave it to my uncles.

This is one of the most tested concepts in Spanish grammar. Memorize the rule: any time le / les meets lo / la / los / las, convert le / les → se. The order remains IO + DO (now se + lo).

Spanish Indirect Object Pronoun Examples FAQs

What are Spanish indirect object pronouns?: Pronouns indicating TO WHOM or FOR WHOM the action is done: me, te, le, nos, os, les. Le doy el libro = I give the book to him. Used with verbs of giving, saying, showing, sending, and gustar-type verbs.
What's the difference between le and lo?: Lo = direct object pronoun (him / it). Le = indirect object pronoun (to him / her). Lo veo = I see him. Le doy = I give to him. In Spain, leísmo allows le for masc. human direct objects, but the standard distinction is lo (DO) vs. le (IO).
Why does le become se?: When le / les precedes lo / la / los / las (e.g., I give IT TO HIM), le / les changes to se to avoid the clumsy *le lo. Se lo doy is correct; *le lo doy is not allowed. Same rule for plural: les + lo → se lo.
Do I have to use the indirect object pronoun if I name the recipient?: Yes. Even when the recipient is named (a María, a Juan, a mis padres), Spanish still requires the pronoun: Le doy el libro a María. Doy el libro a María alone is incomplete in standard Spanish.
How can I master indirect object pronouns?: Drill the se-substitution rule (le / les + lo / la → se + lo / la). Practice gustar-type verbs (me gusta, te encantan, le interesa). Read Spanish dialogue to see natural placement. Parrot's videos show real conversations with object pronouns in context.