When there is an indirect pronoun in a sentence we use: me, te, le, nos, os, les. However when the indirect pronouns le and les (meaning to him / to her / to them) are accompanied by the direct pronoun lo, la, los or las (meaning it / them) then le and les become se to avoid a clumsy sounding le lo, le la, les los etc, which is tricky to pronounce. Listen to this example:
Remember that no matter how many different pronouns are used in the sentence, the indirect one comes first and the direct one comes after.
Listen to these examples:
Note that se has a different position depending on the verb form.
With a conjugated verb, se is separate to the verb and in front.
Se la dimos.
With an infinitive, imperative or gerund, se comes straight after the verb form as part of the same word.
Quiero comprárselos. (infinitive)
Cómpraselos. (imperative)
Estoy comprándoselos. (gerund)
ATTENTION: When the gerund or infinitive are acompanied by a conjugated verb it is also correct to place the se in front of the conjugated verb, but never between the conjugated verb and the gerund or infinitive. Here are some examples to show the two possibilities:
Here are some more examples:
See also:
Using lo, la, los, las = him, her, it, them (direct object pronouns)
Using le and les = [to] it,him, her, them (indirect object pronouns)
Want to make sure your Spanish sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Braimap today »
