Using le and les = [to] it, him, her, them (indirect object pronouns)

Learn about the Spanish pronouns le and les

Le and les are pronouns: they replace a noun (person, animal or thing) used as the indirect object in a sentence. This type of pronoun is called an indirect object pronoun.

Have a look at these examples:

¿Ella envía un regalo a Miguel? Sí, ella le envía un regalo.Is she sending a present to Miguel? Yes, she is sending him a present.

¿Quién prepara la fiesta a Sofía? Nosotros le preparamos la fiesta.Who is preparing the party for Sofía? We are preparing the party for her.

¿Luna escribe a sus amigas? Sí, les escribe.Does Luna write to her friends? Yes, she writes to them.

You also use le or les to replace the formal forms usted and ustedes:

Señora Valls, le doy su carta.Mrs. Valls, I am giving you your letter.

Señor y Señora Aldama, hoy les pago la renta.Mr. and Mrs. Aldama, today I'm paying you the rent.

 

Here are some other examples where le and les refer to things:

Añadí sal a la comida. Le añadí sal.I added salt to the food. I added salt to it.


Puse alcohol a las bebidas. Les puse alcohol.I put some alcohol in the drinks. I put some alcohol in them.

 

Note that the indirect object pronoun agrees in number with the noun it is replacing:

  Masculine / Feminine
Singular le 
to it / him / her / you
Plural les 
to them / you

The indirect object pronoun is placed in front of the conjugated verb.


Something to bear in mind:

In Spanish, it's common to use both the indirect object pronoun and the noun it's replacing in the same sentence, for emphasis:

Ella le envió un regalo a Miguel.She sent a present to Miguel.

Nosotros les preparamos la cena a nuestros invitados.We are cooking dinner for our guests.

Señor López, le entrego el paquete.Mr. Lopez, I am delivering the package to you.

Hoy les pago la renta a ustedes.Today I'm paying you the rent.

The repetition of the indirect object and indirect object pronoun is explained in more detail in this advanced lesson: Repetition of indirect object pronouns with verbs in Spanish (general)

Also see Using lo, la, los, las = him, her, it, them (direct object pronouns).

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Examples and resources

¿Ella envía un regalo a Miguel? Sí, ella le envía un regalo.Is she sending a present to Miguel? Yes, she is sending him a present.
Añadí sal a la comida. Le añadí sal.I added salt to the food. I added salt to it.
Puse alcohol a las bebidas. Les puse alcohol.I put some alcohol in the drinks. I put some alcohol in them.
Señor López, le entrego el paquete.Mr. Lopez, I am delivering the package to you.
Le dije que la quería.I told her I loved her.
Les pregunté cómo estaban.I asked them how they were.
Señor y Señora Aldama, hoy les pago la renta.Mr. and Mrs. Aldama, today I'm paying you the rent.
Le di un abrazo.I gave her a hug.
Yo le doy el periódico al portero ahora.I am giving the newspaper to the doorman now.
Les dije que era una mala idea.I told them it was a bad idea.
Le di unas monedas porque estaba hambriento.I gave him some coins because he was starving.
Señora Valls, le doy su carta.Mrs. Valls, I am giving you your letter.
Yo les doy las llaves a sus amigos.I am giving the keys to his friends.
Le di unas monedas porque estaba hambriento.I gave him some coins because he was starving.
¿Quién prepara la fiesta a Sofía? Nosotros le preparamos la fiesta.Who is preparing the party for Sofía? We are preparing the party for her.
Les ofrecí un café.I offered them a coffee.
Nosotros les preparamos la cena a nuestros invitados.We are cooking dinner for our guests.
¿Luna escribe a sus amigas? Sí, les escribe.Does Luna write to her friends? Yes, she writes to them.
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