Direct Object Pronouns

1
Direct Object Pronouns

• Los Pronombres de Complemento Directo

2
What do you think of these sentences in English?

• I have a Spanish book. I find my Spanish book
  useful. I read my Spanish book, study my Spanish
  book and refer to my Spanish book before taking a
  test.

3
Pretty repetitious! How about this version

• I have a Spanish book. I find it very useful. I
  read it, study it, and refer to it before taking
  a test.

4
Much better, isnt it? What have we done? We
have substituted an object pronoun (it) instead
of repeating the same noun (Spanish book). We
can do the same thing in Spanish.
5
Look at these sentences

• Ella necesita un vestido especial y sabe donde lo
  puede comprar.
• She needs a special dress, and she knows where
  she can buy it.
• Cuando la chica entra en la tienda, un vendedora
  la saluda.
• When the girl enters the store, a saleswoman
  greets her.

6
Which noun in this sentence is replaced by lo?

• Ella necesita un vestido especial y sabe donde lo
  puede comprar.
• un vestido

• What is the gender of el vestido?
• masculine

7
Which noun in this sentence is replaced by la?

• Cuando la chica entra en la tienda, una vendedora
  la saluda.
• La chica

• What is the gender of la chica?
• feminine

8
Lo and la are direct object pronouns lo
replaces a masculine singular noun, and la
replaces a feminine singular noun.
9
Lo and la have plural forms los and las. Lo, la,
los, and las may refer to people or things.
10
Look at these other examples

• Compras el impermeable?
• Sí, lo compro.
• Ves a la vendedora?
• Sí, la veo.
• Recibiste los libros?
• Sí, los recibí.
• Venden batas aquí?
• Sí, las venden.

• Where do lo, la, los and las stand in relation to
  the verb?
• Right! Contrary to English, the Spanish object
  pronoun comes directly BEFORE the conjugated verb.

11
Substitute a direct object pronoun for the word
in bold type

• El doctor examina los ojos.
• El doctor los examina.
• Ellos traen un vaso.
• Ellos lo traen.
• No veo la pizarra.
• No la veo.

12
Substitute a direct object pronoun for the word
in bold type

• No escribimos las cartas.
• No las escribimos.
• El maestro explica la lección.
• El maestro la explica.
• Compras los periódicos?
• Los compras?

13
Substitute a direct object pronoun for the word
in bold type

• La señora no vende frutas.
• La señora no las vende.
• Tenemos el abrigo aquí.
• Lo tenemos aquí.

14
How can you tell your best friend in Spanish that
you saw him? How can you ask him if he saw
you? Look at this short dialog

• Tú Ayer te vi por la calle con tus padres.
• Tu amigo Sí? Nos viste? Por qué no nos
  saludaste?
• Tú Uds. estaban muy lejos. No me viste tú?
• Tu amigo No, no te vi.

15
Here is a complete table of the Spanish direct
object pronouns

• Me me
• Te you familiar
• Lo you (formal), him, it (masculine)
• La you (formal), her, it (feminine)

• Nos us
• Los them, you (masculine plural)
• Las them, you (feminine plural)

16
Express the following in Spanish

• Your friends visit you (familiar) often.
• Tus amigos te visitan a menudo.
• My mother called me an hour ago.
• Mi madre me llamó hace una hora

• Our grandparents always take us to the movies.
• Nuestros abuelos siempre nos llevan al cine.
• You (formal singular) saw her this morning.
• Ud. la vio esta mañana.

17
We saw that the direct object pronouns come
before the verb. There are some situations,
however, in which they take a different position.
Look at these examples
18
Look at these examples

• Compra el libro.
• Cómpralo
• Abre la ventana.
• Ábrela.

• Buy the book.
• Buy it.
• Open the window.
• Open it.

19
Now look at these examples

• Escriba Ud. las cartas.
• Escríbalas.
• Visita a tus abuelos.
• Visítalos.

• Write the letters.
• Write them.
• Visit your grandparents.
• Visit them.

20

• Were those commands affirmative or negative?
• Affirmative
• Where was the direct object pronoun in those
  commands?
• After the verb and attached to it.

21

• Here is the easy rule
• In affirmative (but NOT negative) commands, the
  direct object pronoun follows the verb and is
  attached to it.
• Also, an accent mark is on the stressed vowel to
  keep the original stress.

22
Now look at these sentences
III
I
II

• Quiero verte hoy.
• Pedro va a lamarme.
• El viene a visitarnos.
• Voy a comprarlos.

• Te quiero ver hoy.
• Pedro me va a llamar.
• El nos viene a visitar.
• Los voy a comprar.

• I want to see you today.
• Pedro is going to call me.
• He is coming to visit us.
• Im going to buy them.

23
Look at the sentences and answer these questions

• How many verbs are in each Spanish sentence?
• Which form does the second verb have?
• Where is the direct object pronoun in column II?

2
infinitive
Before the conjugated verb
24
Heres the rule

• When a direct object pronoun is used with an
  infinitive, it may follow and is attached to the
• infinitive, or it may precede the conjugated
  form of the other verb.