Topics
IntermediateDirect & Indirect Objects
How direct and indirect objects are expressed and replaced by pronouns in Spanish, English and Chinese.
Compare languages
English uses word order (SVO) to distinguish objects. Spanish marks objects with 'a' and uses a complex pronoun system where indirect and direct pronouns can combine. Chinese uses word order and optional 给 for recipient.
Overview
Direct objects receive the action directly. Indirect objects are the recipients or beneficiaries.
- Spanish: Uses object pronouns (lo, la, le, les) that often precede the verb. The “personal a” marks animate direct objects. Double object pronouns trigger se substitution (se lo doy). Clitic pronouns can attach to infinitives and gerunds.
- English: Relies on word order (SVO). Ditransitive verbs allow both orders: I gave him the book or I gave the book to him. Object pronouns follow the verb.
- Chinese: Uses word order and the preposition 给 (give to) for recipients. No object pronoun system comparable to Spanish. Objects often drop when context is clear.
Spanish
Direct objects
The direct object receives the action directly:
- Veo la película. (I see the movie.)
- Compro un libro. (I buy a book.)
- Conozco a María. (I know María. — personal a)
Personal a
Spanish places a before animate direct objects:
- Veo a Juan. (I see Juan.)
- Busco a mi hermano. (I’m looking for my brother.)
- Quiero a mi madre. (I love my mother.)
No a for inanimate objects:
- Veo la película. (I see the movie.)
- Busco un libro. (I’m looking for a book.)
Direct object pronouns
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | me | nos |
| 2nd | te | os |
| 3rd masc | lo | los |
| 3rd fem | la | las |
Position: Before conjugated verbs:
- La veo. (I see her/it.)
- Los compro. (I buy them [masc].)
- Me conoce. (He knows me.)
With infinitives and gerunds, pronouns can attach:
- Voy a verlo. (I’m going to see him.)
- Estoy comprándolo. (I’m buying it.)
Indirect objects
The indirect object is the recipient or beneficiary:
- Doy un libro a Juan. (I give a book to Juan.)
- Escribo una carta a mi madre. (I write a letter to my mother.)
Indirect object pronouns
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | me | nos |
| 2nd | te | os |
| 3rd | le | les |
Note: Le/les is ambiguous — it can mean to him, to her, to you (formal), or to them.
- Le doy un libro. (I give him/her/you a book.)
- Les escribo. (I write to them/you all.)
Double object pronouns
When both direct and indirect pronouns appear together:
| lo | la | los | las | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| le | se lo | se la | se los | se las |
| les | se lo | se la | se los | se las |
Rule: Le/les changes to se before lo/la/los/las.
- Se lo doy. (I give it to him/her/them.)
- Se la mostré. (I showed it to him/her/them.)
- Me lo dio. (He gave it to me. — me + lo, no change needed)
Order of pronouns
Indirect + Direct + Verb:
- Me lo dio. (He gave it to me.)
- Se la envié. (I sent it to him/her.)
Reflexive + object pronouns
- Me lo lavo. (I wash it [for myself].)
- Se lo pongo. (I put it on [myself].)
English
Direct objects
The direct object follows the verb:
- I see him.
- She bought the book.
- They ate dinner.
Indirect objects
English has two ways to express indirect objects:
Pattern A: Verb + Indirect + Direct
- I gave him the book.
- She told me a story.
- They sent us a letter.
Pattern B: Verb + Direct + to/for + Indirect
- I gave the book to him.
- She told a story to me.
- They sent a letter to us.
Dative alternation: Most ditransitive verbs allow both patterns:
| Verb | Pattern A | Pattern B |
|---|---|---|
| give | give him the book | give the book to him |
| send | send her a letter | send a letter to her |
| show | show me the photo | show the photo to me |
| tell | tell us the news | tell the news to us |
| offer | offer them a deal | offer a deal to them |
No alternation: Some verbs require to:
- I explained the problem to him. (NOT I explained him the problem.)
- I described the scene to her.
Object pronouns
| Subject | Object | Possessive |
|---|---|---|
| I | me | my |
| you | you | your |
| he | him | his |
| she | her | her |
| it | it | its |
| we | us | our |
| they | them | their |
Position: Always after the verb (SVO):
- She sees me.
- I called him.
Prepositional objects
When the object follows a preposition, use the object form:
- Give it to me.
- Talk to him.
- Wait for us.
It and them
English uses it for inanimate singular and them for plural:
- I see it. (the book)
- I see them. (the books)
- I gave it to him. (the book)
- I gave them to him. (the books)
Chinese
Direct objects
Chinese direct objects follow the verb (SVO):
- 我看书。(I read books.)
- 他吃饭。(He eats rice/meal.)
- 我买了一本书。(I bought a book.)
Indirect objects with 给
给 (give) marks the recipient:
- 我给他一本书。(I give him a book.)
- 我给他写信。(I write a letter to him.)
Pattern: Subject + 给 + recipient + verb + object
Or: Subject + verb + object + 给 + recipient
- 我买了一个礼物给他。(I bought a gift for him.)
No object pronoun clitics
Chinese has no clitic pronouns like Spanish lo/le:
- 我看见了。(I saw [it/him]. — object inferred from context)
- 我给他了。(I gave [it] to him. — object inferred)
Dropping objects
Chinese freely drops objects when context is clear:
- A: 你买书了吗？(Did you buy the book?)
- B: 买了。(Bought [it]. — object dropped)
对 for speaking verbs
对 marks the indirect object with speaking verbs:
- 我对他说。(I said to him.)
- 我跟他说。(I told him.)
把 for object fronting
把 raises the object to pre-verbal position:
- 我把书给他了。(I gave the book to him. — literally “I took the book gave him”)
Comparison at a glance
| Feature | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct object marker | a (animate) | word order | word order |
| Indirect object marker | a (to) | to / for | 给 / 对 |
| Object pronoun position | Before verb | After verb | After verb / dropped |
| Double objects | se lo / me lo | him it / to him | 给他 / 把…给他 |
| Animate object marker | personal a | none | none |
| Clitic pronouns | Yes (lo, la, le) | No | No |
| Object dropping | Rare | Rare | Common |
| Dative alternation | No | Yes | Limited |
Examples in context
I give him the book
- ES: Se lo doy. / Le doy el libro.
- EN: I give him the book. / I give the book to him.
- ZH: 我给他一本书。
I saw her
- ES: La vi.
- EN: I saw her.
- ZH: 我看见她了。
He told me a story
- ES: Me contó una historia.
- EN: He told me a story. / He told a story to me.
- ZH: 他给我讲了一个故事。
Common mistakes
-
English speakers learning Spanish: Dropping personal a: Veo Juan → Veo a Juan
-
English speakers learning Spanish: Using leísmo: Le vi (for lo) → Lo vi
-
Chinese speakers learning English: Omitting preposition: I gave him the book is correct, but I explained him → I explained to him
-
Spanish speakers learning Chinese: Adding pronouns unnecessarily: 我给了他它 → 我给他了 (object inferred)
Related topics
- Pronouns: How object pronouns fit into the pronoun system
- Word Order: How object position varies across languages
- Prepositions: How a, to, and 给 mark objects
- Reflexives: How reflexive pronouns interact with objects
Examples
I see him (direct)
Lo veo
I give him a book (indirect)
Le doy un libro
Direct object pronoun (it)
lo (masc) / la (fem) / los / las
Indirect object pronoun (to him)
le (to him/her/you formal) / les
Double object (I give it to him)
Se lo doy (se + lo/la substitution)
Object position
Before conjugated verb; attached to infinitive/gerund
Prepositional object marker
a (personal a before animate direct objects)
Examples
I see him (direct)
I see him
I give him a book (indirect)
I give him a book
Direct object pronoun (it)
it / them
Indirect object pronoun (to him)
to him / to her (prepositional)
Double object (I give it to him)
I give it to him / I give him it
Object position
After verb (SVO)
Prepositional object marker
to (indirect)
Examples
I see him (direct)
我看见他
I give him a book (indirect)
我给他一本书
Direct object pronoun (it)
它 / 他们 (written only)
Indirect object pronoun (to him)
给 + person (prepositional)
Double object (I give it to him)
我给他
Object position
After verb (SVO)
Prepositional object marker
给 (give to) / 对 (say to)
Comparison at a glance
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| I see him (direct) | Lo veo | I see him | 我看见他 |
| I give him a book (indirect) | Le doy un libro | I give him a book | 我给他一本书 |
| Direct object pronoun (it) | lo (masc) / la (fem) / los / las | it / them | 它 / 他们 (written only) |
| Indirect object pronoun (to him) | le (to him/her/you formal) / les | to him / to her (prepositional) | 给 + person (prepositional) |
| Double object (I give it to him) | Se lo doy (se + lo/la substitution) | I give it to him / I give him it | 我给他 |
| Object position | Before conjugated verb; attached to infinitive/gerund | After verb (SVO) | After verb (SVO) |
| Prepositional object marker | a (personal a before animate direct objects) | to (indirect) | 给 (give to) / 对 (say to) |
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Side-by-side comparison
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| I see him (direct) | Lo veo | I see him | 我看见他 |
| I give him a book (indirect) | Le doy un libro | I give him a book | 我给他一本书 |
| Direct object pronoun (it) | lo (masc) / la (fem) / los / las | it / them | 它 / 他们 (written only) |
| Indirect object pronoun (to him) | le (to him/her/you formal) / les | to him / to her (prepositional) | 给 + person (prepositional) |
| Double object (I give it to him) | Se lo doy (se + lo/la substitution) | I give it to him / I give him it | 我给他 |
| Object position | Before conjugated verb; attached to infinitive/gerund | After verb (SVO) | After verb (SVO) |
| Prepositional object marker | a (personal a before animate direct objects) | to (indirect) | 给 (give to) / 对 (say to) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Examples in context
I see him (direct)
Spanish
Lo veo
English
I see him
Chinese
我看见他
I give him a book (indirect)
Spanish
Le doy un libro
English
I give him a book
Chinese
我给他一本书
Direct object pronoun (it)
Spanish
lo (masc) / la (fem) / los / las
English
it / them
Chinese
它 / 他们 (written only)
Indirect object pronoun (to him)
Spanish
le (to him/her/you formal) / les
English
to him / to her (prepositional)
Chinese
给 + person (prepositional)
Double object (I give it to him)
Spanish
Se lo doy (se + lo/la substitution)
English
I give it to him / I give him it
Chinese
我给他
Object position
Spanish
Before conjugated verb; attached to infinitive/gerund
English
After verb (SVO)
Chinese
After verb (SVO)
Prepositional object marker
Spanish
a (personal a before animate direct objects)
English
to (indirect)
Chinese
给 (give to) / 对 (say to)
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Key Takeaways
Spanish: Uses object pronouns (lo, la, le, les) that often precede the verb. The "personal a" marks animate direct objects. Double object pronouns tr...
English: Relies on word order (SVO). Ditransitive verbs allow both orders: I gave him the book or I gave the book to him. Object pronouns follow the ...
Chinese: Uses word order and the preposition 给gěi (give to) for recipients. No object pronoun system comparable to Spanish. Objects often drop when c...
Key concepts compared: I see him (direct), I give him a book (indirect), Direct object pronoun (it).
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Last updated: June 4, 2026