Direct Object Pronouns in Spanish

What does it mean? Some reminders:

A noun is a naming word like house, dog, John.

A pronoun stands in place of a noun, e.g. it, him, them.

A subject pronoun replaces the noun that performs the action, e.g. John kicked the ball. He kicked the ball.

An object pronoun replaces the noun that the verb acts on, e.g. John kicked the ball. John kicked it.

In English, object pronouns come after the verb, but in Spanish they often come before the verb.

Note that some Spanish pronouns have the same spelling as different words, e.g. el, la, las, los (the).

This lesson will focus on the use of direct object pronouns to replace object pronouns. We do this when the person or thing we are talking about is already known or when we want to give a short answer without mentioning the direct object again. Direct object pronouns are very important in Spanish grammar as they are used all the time in order to express oneself more naturally, avoiding repetition of nouns unnecessarily.

In general you will find them in the answers to questions 'what' or 'who'. After carefully reading this explanation on both direct objects and direct object pronouns, complete the exercise and practice replacing direct objects with their pronouns.

DIRECT OBJECT in Spanish

OBJETO DIRECTO

The direct object is the person, animal or thing that receives the action.

We can find them in the answers to these questions:

¿Qué + verb? or ¿A quién + verb?

Elena ordena los libros de su oficina. Elena organizes the books in her office.
Juan y José limpian su habitación. Juan and José clean their room.
Nosotras vamos a visitar a nuestra tía mañana. We are going to visit our aunt tomorrow.
Tú ayudarás a tu mamá durante este tiempo. You will help your mom during this time.

DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS in Spanish

PRONOMBRES DE OBJETO DIRECTO

Direct object pronouns are used to replace the noun mentioned previously and that we already know, or to give a short answer.

In general, we write these pronouns before the verb.

A mí --> Me	A nosotros --> Nos
A tí --> Te	A vosotros --> Os
A él --> Lo	A ella --> La
A usted --> Lo/ La	A ellos --> Los
A ellas --> Las	A ustedes --> Los / Las

Examples

Elizabeth compró el pan en el supermercado --> Elizabeth lo compró en el supermercado.
Elizabeth bought the bread in the supermarket = Elizabeth bought it in the supermarket.
Nosotros preparamos la cena --> Nosotros la preparamos.
We prepare dinner = We prepare it.
Tú vendiste tus libros de historia --> Tú los vendiste.
You sold your history books. = You sold them.
Usted pintará todas las paredes de verde --> Usted las pintará todas de verde.
You will paint all the walls green = You will paint them all green.

Interactive Grammar Exercise

Instructions: Replace the direct object with the correct pronoun.

Instrucciones: Sustituye el objeto directo por el pronombre correcto.

1. Yo no respondo los correos electrónicos hasta el fin del día.
Yo no respondo hasta el fin del día. (los, las)

2. Ella siempre dejaba las llaves sobre la mesa.
Ella siempre dejaba sobre la mesa. (los, las)

3. Ella nunca tomaba la medicina a tiempo.
Ella nunca tomaba a tiempo. (lo, la)

4. Ud. saludaba amablemente a todos.
Ud. saludaba amablemente a todos. (nos, los)

5. Sofía ayuda a la abuela a cocinar.
Sofía ayuda a cocinar. (la, lo)

6. Ustedes harán los pasteles para la fiesta.
Ustedes harán para la fiesta. (los, las)

7. El papá ayuda a sus hijos con los verbos.
El papá ayuda con los verbos. (los, nos)

8. Yo leí 3 libros en un mes.
Yo leí en un mes. (los, las)

9. Los niños quebraron la ventana.
Los niños quebraron. (la, lo)

10. Mi familia envío las tarjetas por correo.
Mi familia envió por correo. (los, las)

11. Rubén visita a su hermana cada fin de semana.
Rubén visita cada fin de semana. (la, lo)

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Spanish direct object pronouns