Double object pronoun placement

Double object pronoun placement in Spanish

Double object pronoun placement refers to how Spanish places two unstressed object pronouns together with the verb: an indirect object pronoun (IOP) and a direct object pronoun (DOP). In English we say "give it to me"; Spanish often replaces both objects with pronouns and arranges them around the verb: "Me lo dio." The guide below explains the order, where the pair goes in different verb forms, and common traps.

Indispensable lists (quick):
- Indirect object pronouns (IOP): me, te, le, nos, os, les
- Direct object pronouns (DOP): me, te, lo, la, nos, os, los, las

Note: me and te can be either IOP or DOP; context decides.

Use them when you want to replace both the indirect object (to whom / for whom) and the direct object (what) with pronouns. They make speech concise and avoid repeating nouns.

- English: "She gave the book to me." → Spanish: "Ella me dio el libro." → With both objects as pronouns: "Ella me lo dio." (She gave it to me.)
- English: "I'll show them the photos." → Spanish: "Les mostraré las fotos." → "Se las mostraré." (I will show them to them.)

Main rule: When both object pronouns appear together, the indirect object pronoun goes before the direct object pronoun.

- Pattern: IOP + DOP + verb (or attached forms; see placement section)
- Examples:
- "Me lo dio." (He gave it to me.)
- "Te la presto." (I lend it to you.)
- "Nos los trajeron." (They brought them to us.)

Wrong order (common mistake):
- Wrong: "Lo me dio." → Correct: "Me lo dio."

Le/les → se before lo/la/los/las

If the indirect pronoun is third person (le, les) and the direct pronoun is also third person (lo, la, los, las), Spanish changes le/les to se to avoid the awkward sequence "le lo" / "les lo".

- Examples:
- "Le di el libro a Juan." → "Se lo di." (I gave it to him.)
- "Les envié las fotos a ellos." → "Se las envié." (I sent them to them.)

Important note: "Se" here replaces le/les; it does not indicate reflexive meaning by itself. Context (or adding the noun) clarifies who "se" refers to.

Spanish has two main positions for clitic pronouns: before a conjugated verb (proclitic) or attached to an infinitive, gerund, or affirmative imperative (enclitic). Which to use depends on the verb form.

1) With a single conjugated verb

Pronouns go before the conjugated verb.
- "Me lo dijo ayer." (He told it to me yesterday.)
- "Nos la trae ahora." (He brings it to us now.)
- "Te lo explicaré mañana." (I'll explain it to you tomorrow.)

2) With a conjugated verb + infinitive (two-verb sequence)

You have two correct options: either place the pronouns before the conjugated verb or attach them to the infinitive.
- "Te lo voy a dar." or "Voy a dártelo." (I'm going to give it to you.)
- "Se lo quiero comprar." or "Quiero comprárselo." (I want to buy it for him/her.)

Common wrong form:
- Wrong: "Voy a te lo dar." → Use "Te lo voy a dar" or "Voy a dártelo."

3) With progressive (estar + gerund)

Again you can either put pronouns before the conjugated form of estar or attach them to the gerund. When attaching, add an accent if needed to preserve the original stress (see accent section).
- "Te lo estoy diciendo." or "Estoy diciéndotelo." (I'm telling it to you.)
- "Nos las están mostrando." or "Están mostrándonoslas." (They're showing them to us.)

4) With affirmative and negative commands

- Affirmative commands: pronouns must be attached to the end of the verb (enclitic).
- "Dímelo." (Tell me it / Tell me.)
- "Dáselo." (Give it to him/her.)
- "Hazmelo." → correct spelling requires an accent: "Házmelo." (Do it for me.)

- Negative commands: pronouns go before the verb (proclitic), after the word "no."
- "No me lo digas." (Don't tell me.)
- "No se lo dé." (Don't give it to him/her — formal usted.)

- Formal (usted/ustedes) and nosotros commands follow the same enclitic rule for affirmative and proclitic for negative:
- Affirmative usted: "Démelo, por favor." (Give it to me, please.)
- Negative usted: "No me lo dé." (Don't give it to me.)
- Affirmative ustedes: "Dénmelo." / Negative ustedes: "No me lo den."

5) With compound tenses (haber + past participle)

Pronouns go before the auxiliary verb (haber); they are not attached to the past participle.
- "Te lo he dicho." (I have told you.)
- "Se lo había explicado antes." (He had explained it to him/her earlier.)

Incorrect: attaching pronouns to participles ("he dicho + lo" → *"he dicholo") is not allowed.

When you attach one or two pronouns to an infinitive, gerund, or affirmative imperative, the resulting word can change in syllable count so you often need to add a written accent to keep the verb's original stress.

How to spot it:
- Form the verb with attached pronouns.
- Check the normal stress of the original verb form.
- If attaching pronouns would shift the stress away from that original syllable, add an accent to the stressed syllable of the verb.

Common examples:
- Infinitive: "dar" → "dárselos" → "Voy a dárselos." (I am going to give them to him.)
- Gerund: "decir" → "diciendo" → attach pronouns: "diciéndotelo" → "Estoy diciéndotelo." or alternative: "Te lo estoy diciendo." (I am telling it to you.)
- Affirmative tú command: "di" → "dímelo." (Tell me it.)
- Affirmative tú command: "da" (dar) → attach: "dáselo." (Give it to him/her.)
- "Hazmelo" must be written "Házmelo." (Do it for me.)

If you prefer to avoid accent mistakes while speaking, place the pronouns before the conjugated verb (where possible): "Te lo estoy diciendo" instead of "Estoy diciéndotelo." Both are correct.

- Wrong order: "Lo me dio." → Correct: "Me lo dio."
- Forgetting the "se" change: "Le lo di." → Correct: "Se lo di."
- Attaching pronouns to a past participle in compound tenses: *"He dártelo" → Correct: "Te lo he dado." or "Voy a dártelo."
- Pronouns with negative commands: wrong to attach—"*No dámelo." → Correct: "No me lo des."
- Missing written accents when pronouns are attached to infinitives/gerunds/affirmative commands: "Estoy diciendotelo" → Correct: "Estoy diciéndotelo." or place pronouns before the conjugated verb: "Te lo estoy diciendo."

Single conjugated verbs
- "Me lo dijo ayer." (He told it to me yesterday.)
- "Nos los enviaron la semana pasada." (They sent them to us last week.)
- "Te la presto mañana." (I'll lend it to you tomorrow.)

Conjugated verb + infinitive (two-verb structures)
- "Te lo voy a dar." / "Voy a dártelo." (I'll give it to you.)
- "Se lo quiero comprar." / "Quiero comprárselo." (I want to buy it for him/her.)
- "Me lo debes explicar." / "Debes explicármelo." (You must explain it to me.)

Progressive (estar + gerund)
- "Te lo estoy contando." / "Estoy contándotelo." (I'm telling it to you.)
- "Nos las están mostrando." / "Están mostrándonoslas." (They're showing them to us.)

Affirmative commands (attach pronouns)
- "Dímelo." (Tell me.)
- "Dáselo ahora." (Give it to him/her now.)
- "Házmelo mañana." (Do it for me tomorrow.)

Negative commands (pronouns before verb)
- "No me lo digas." (Don't tell me.)
- "No se lo dé." (Don't give it to him/her — formal.)

Compound tenses (before haber)
- "Te lo he dicho." (I have told you.)
- "Se lo habían explicado antes." (They had explained it to him/her before.)

Se replacing le/les (third-person IOP)
- "Le envié la carta a Ana." → "Se la envié." (I sent it to her.)
- "Les trajeron los regalos a los niños." → "Se los trajeron." (They brought them to the children.)

- Order: IOP + DOP (e.g., me lo, te la, nos los).
- If IOP is le/les and DOP is lo/la/los/las → change le/les to se ("se lo").
- With a single conjugated verb → pronouns go before it ("Me lo dijo").
- With infinitive/gerund or affirmative command → attach pronouns to the end ("Voy a dártelo", "Dímelo"); or put them before a conjugated verb ("Te lo voy a dar", "No me lo digas").
- With compound tenses using haber → pronouns go before the auxiliary ("Te lo he dicho").
- Add a written accent when attaching pronouns changes the stress of the original verb form ("dármelo" → "dármelo" with accent on á when needed).

- Direct object pronoun (DOP): replaces the direct object (what? whom?). Examples: lo, la, los, las, me, te, nos, os.
- Indirect object pronoun (IOP): replaces the indirect object (to whom/for whom?). Examples: me, te, le, nos, os, les.
- Clitic: an unstressed word (like me, te, lo) that attaches to a verb or appears before it.
- Proclitic: pronoun placed before a conjugated verb (e.g., "Me lo dijo").
- Enclitic: pronoun attached to the end of an infinitive, gerund, or affirmative command (e.g., "Dámelo", "Voy a dártelo").

Summary

Placing two object pronouns in Spanish follows stable patterns: indirect before direct; change le/les to se before lo/la/los/las; pronouns normally precede a single conjugated verb but attach to infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative commands (with accent adjustments when necessary). Learn a few model verbs (dar, decir, mostrar, prestar) and practice spotting the verb form (conjugated vs. infinitive vs. imperative); then choose the correct pronoun position using the rules above.

If you ever feel unsure: move the pronouns before the conjugated verb ("Te lo voy a dar", "Te lo estoy diciendo", "Te lo he dicho")—that form is always correct and avoids accent mistakes when you are still learning.