How do you say them in Spanish?

Them translates differently depending on its grammatical role: ellos or ellas after prepositions, los or las as direct objects, and les as an indirect object. Choosing the correct form requires identifying whether them receives the action directly, indirectly, or follows a preposition.

When do I use los versus les in Spanish?

Los (or las for feminine) replaces a direct object — the thing or person directly receiving the action. Les replaces an indirect object — the person to whom or for whom the action is done. For example, los llamé means I called them, while les escribí means I wrote to them.

Is there a gender-neutral form of them in Spanish?

Traditional Spanish grammar uses ellos as the default for mixed-gender groups, following the masculine plural rule. Some speakers adopt ellos/ellas together or the emerging form elles for gender-inclusive language, though elles is not yet accepted by the Real Academia Española.

Spanish vocabulary · Beginner

Them in Spanish: Ellos / Ellas

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

Ellos / Ellas · pronoun · EH-yohs / EH-yahs

Translating them into Spanish requires choosing the right pronoun form based on grammatical function. Ellos and ellas work as subject pronouns and after prepositions, los and las serve as direct object pronouns, and les functions as the indirect object pronoun. This three-way split is the key challenge English speakers face when rendering them in Spanish.

Ellos is pronounced EH-yohs with the ll producing a y sound in most dialects. Ellas follows the same pattern: EH-yahs. The object forms los, las, and les are each one syllable.

Los vi en el parque esta mañana.

I saw them at the park this morning.

Them in Spanish: Quick Reference

Below are the most common Spanish words for them, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.

Spanish	English	Pronunciation	Region / Register
ellos / ellas	them	EH-yohs / EH-yahs	Default, widely understood
los / las	them		direct object pronouns for them
les	them		indirect object pronoun for to them or for them

How Native Speakers Use Ellos / Ellas

Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.

Direct object

¿Las llaves? Las dejé en la mesa de la entrada.

The keys? I left them on the entryway table.

Las replaces a feminine plural noun functioning as a direct object.

Indirect object

Les envié un mensaje para confirmar la hora de la reunión.

I sent them a message to confirm the meeting time.

Les is the indirect object pronoun meaning to them, regardless of gender.

After a preposition

Este regalo es para ellos, no para nosotros.

This gift is for them, not for us.

After prepositions like para, con, or sin, the full pronoun ellos or ellas is required.

Avoid These Mistakes When Using Ellos / Ellas

Using ellos as a direct object

Incorrect: Yo vi ellos en la tienda.

Correct: Yo los vi en la tienda.

Ellos cannot function as a direct object pronoun in Spanish. The clitic pronoun los (or las for feminine) must be placed before the conjugated verb.

Confusing les with los

Incorrect: Los di las instrucciones ayer.

Correct: Les di las instrucciones ayer.

Dar requires an indirect object (to them), which takes les, not the direct object pronoun los. Mixing these up is one of the most common pronoun errors for English speakers.

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See Ellos / Ellas used by native speakers

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Common Questions About Them in Spanish

How do you say them in Spanish?: Them translates differently depending on its grammatical role: ellos or ellas after prepositions, los or las as direct objects, and les as an indirect object. Choosing the correct form requires identifying whether them receives the action directly, indirectly, or follows a preposition.
When do I use los versus les in Spanish?: Los (or las for feminine) replaces a direct object — the thing or person directly receiving the action. Les replaces an indirect object — the person to whom or for whom the action is done. For example, los llamé means I called them, while les escribí means I wrote to them.
Is there a gender-neutral form of them in Spanish?: Traditional Spanish grammar uses ellos as the default for mixed-gender groups, following the masculine plural rule. Some speakers adopt ellos/ellas together or the emerging form elles for gender-inclusive language, though elles is not yet accepted by the Real Academia Española.