Placement of object pronouns with infinitives and gerunds

Placement of object pronouns with infinitives and gerunds in Spanish

This guide explains how to place Spanish object pronouns (direct and indirect) when you use infinitives and gerunds. You will learn what choices are possible, how to form each option, when to add an accent (tilde), how two pronouns combine, and common mistakes to avoid. Examples are given in Spanish with English translations.

What are the object pronouns?

Direct object pronouns: me (me), te (you sing.), lo (him/it masc.), la (her/it fem.), nos (us), os (you pl.), los/las (them).

Indirect object pronouns: me, te, le (to him/to her/to you formal), nos, os, les. Note: when le or les appears directly before lo/la/los/las, le/les changes to se (see examples below).

Examples:
- Juan me ve. (Juan sees me.)
- Veo la película → La veo. (I see the movie → I see it.)
- Le doy el libro a María → Le doy el libro / Se lo doy. (I give the book to María → I give it to her / I give it to her.)

Two basic places for pronouns: before the conjugated verb or attached to the infinitive/gerund

When you have a conjugated verb plus a non-finite verb (an infinitive or a gerund), you can place object pronouns in two ways:

1) Before the conjugated verb (proclitic placement):
- Put the pronoun before the finite (conjugated) verb: Te lo voy a explicar. (I am going to explain it to you.)

2) Attached to the infinitive or gerund (enclitic placement):
- Attach the pronoun(s) to the end of the infinitive or gerund: Voy a explicártelo. (I am going to explain it to you.) / Estoy explicándotelo. (I am explaining it to you.)

Meaning: Both positions are usually equivalent in meaning. Choice is often stylistic or influenced by emphasis and register.

Infinitives: rules and many examples

When the verb phrase contains an infinitive (e.g., quiero + infinitive, voy a + infinitive, modal verbs like poder, deber), you may either:

A. Place the pronoun before the conjugated verb:
- Lo quiero ver. (I want to see it.)
- Te voy a llamar mañana. (I’m going to call you tomorrow.)
- Me lo puedes dar ahora. (You can give it to me now.)

B. Attach the pronoun(s) to the infinitive:
- Quiero verlo. (I want to see it.)
- Voy a llamarte mañana. (I’m going to call you tomorrow.)
- Puedes dármelo ahora. (You can give it to me now.)

Pairs of equivalent sentences (same meaning):
- Quiero verlo. / Lo quiero ver. (I want to see it.)
- Voy a comprarla. / La voy a comprar. (I’m going to buy it/her.)
- ¿Puedes explicármelo? / ¿Me lo puedes explicar? (Can you explain it to me?)
- Voy a dárselo mañana. / Se lo voy a dar mañana. (I’m going to give it to him/her tomorrow.)

Notes and patterns with infinitives:
- Order with two pronouns: indirect before direct (me/te/le → lo/la/los/las). Example attached: dármelo (dar + me + lo). Example before the conjugated verb: Me lo vas a dar.
- le/les + lo/la/los/las becomes se + lo/la/los/las in both positions: Se lo voy a dar. / Voy a dárselo.
- Negative: place no before the conjugated verb. Both forms still work: No lo quiero ver. / No quiero verlo. (I don’t want to see it.)
- Compound tenses with haber: you cannot attach pronouns to the auxiliary haber or to the past participle as one word. Correct: Lo he dicho. Incorrect: *He dicholo.

Gerunds (present participles): rules and many examples

With gerunds (-ando / -iendo / -yendo) the same two placements are possible:

A. Pronoun before the conjugated auxiliary verb:
- Te lo estoy diciendo. (I’m telling it to you.)
- Lo estoy leyendo. (I’m reading it.)
- Me estoy lavando las manos. (I’m washing my hands.)

B. Pronoun attached to the gerund:
- Estoy diciéndotelo. (I’m telling it to you.)
- Estoy leyéndolo. (I’m reading it.)
- Estoy lavándome las manos. (I’m washing my hands.)

Pairs of equivalent sentences:
- Te estoy llamando. / Estoy llamándote. (I’m calling you.)
- Lo estoy leyendo. / Estoy leyéndolo. (I’m reading it.)
- Te lo estoy explicando. / Estoy explicándotelo. (I’m explaining it to you.)

Usage note: Both forms are grammatically correct. Writing style may prefer the pronoun before the auxiliary in very formal contexts, but attaching to the gerund is common and natural in speech and writing.

Accent (tilde) rules when you attach pronouns

When you attach one or more pronouns to an infinitive or gerund, the added syllables can change where the natural stress falls. If the stress would move and you want to keep the verb’s original stress, you must add an acute accent (tilde) to the appropriate vowel.

How to check:
1) Say the infinitive/gerund alone and note which syllable is stressed.
2) Attach the pronoun(s) and apply the default Spanish stress rules (words that end in a vowel, n, or s are stressed on the penultimate syllable; otherwise the last syllable).
3) If the default stress after attachment does not match the original stress, add an accent on the vowel of the original stressed syllable.

Common examples (gerunds and infinitives):
- Estoy leyéndolo. (leer → leyendo → leyéndolo) “leyendo” stress is on -yen-; attach lo → leyéndolo (accent on é).
- Estoy explicándotelo. (explicar → explicando → explicándotelo) accent on á.
- ¿Puedes decírmelo? (decir → decir → decírmelo) accent on í.
- Voy a comprármelo. (comprar → comprar → comprármelo) accent on á to keep the original stress.

Compare with cases where no accent is needed:
- Quiero verlo. (ver → verlo: stress stays where it should without an accent.)
- Lo voy a comprar. / Voy a comprarlo. (comprarlo often needs no accent when only one short pronoun is attached — check stress case-by-case.)

A practical rule: if a multisyllabic infinitive or gerund keeps the same stressed syllable after you add pronouns, no accent is needed; otherwise add an accent to preserve the original stress.

Order of two pronouns and the 'se' change

When two object pronouns appear together (indirect + direct), the indirect pronoun normally comes first: me/te/le → lo/la/los/las. Example attached to infinitive: dár+melo → dármelo (give it to me). Before the conjugated verb: Me lo vas a dar.

Important: when le or les would come immediately before lo/la/los/las, change le/les to se:
- Incorrect: *Le lo voy a dar.
- Correct: Se lo voy a dar. / Voy a dárselo.

Examples:
- Voy a dárselo. / Se lo voy a dar. (I’m going to give it to him/her.)
- Te lo estoy explicando. / Estoy explicándotelo. (I’m explaining it to you.)
- Me la vas a prestar. / Vas a prestármela. (You’re going to lend it to me.)

When you cannot or should not attach pronouns

- Do not attach object pronouns to the auxiliary haber in compound tenses: say Lo he leído (I have read it), not *He leído lo.
- You cannot attach pronouns to a conjugated verb except in affirmative commands. For example: Dímelo. (Tell me it.) But for conjugated verbs in other tenses, the pronoun goes before: Me lo dijiste. (You told me it.)
- In negative commands the pronoun comes before the verb: No me lo des. (Don’t give it to me.)

Which placement should I choose? (Style and emphasis)

- Both placements are correct and often interchangeable. In everyday speech many Spanish speakers attach pronouns to infinitives and gerunds (Quiero verlo; Estoy llamándote).
- For clarity or emphasis you might put the pronoun before the conjugated verb (Lo quiero ver; Te estoy llamando).
- In formal written Spanish, placing the pronoun before the conjugated verb is slightly more conservative in some contexts, but both forms are accepted by modern usage.

Common mistakes to avoid

- Forgetting to change le/les to se before lo/la/los/las: say Se lo voy a dar, not *Le lo voy a dar.
- Attaching pronouns to haber or trying to attach them to past participles: correct is Lo he visto, not *He vistolo.
- Omitting the accent when the stress changes: write Estoy leyéndolo, not *Estoy leyendolo.
- Trying to attach pronouns to a conjugated verb (except affirmative commands). For example, use Me lo dijo (he told me it) not *Díjomelo (unless it is the imperative Dímelo).

Short reference: many useful example pairs

- Quiero verlo. / Lo quiero ver. (I want to see it.)
- Voy a comprármelo. / Me lo voy a comprar. (I’m going to buy it for myself.)
- ¿Puedes explicármelo? / ¿Me lo puedes explicar? (Can you explain it to me?)
- Estoy leyéndolo. / Lo estoy leyendo. (I’m reading it.)
- Te lo estoy explicando. / Estoy explicándotelo. (I’m explaining it to you.)
- Se lo voy a dar. / Voy a dárselo. (I’m going to give it to him/her.)

Glossary (simple definitions)

- Direct object pronoun: replaces the direct object (what/whom). Example: la (the movie) → La veo.
- Indirect object pronoun: replaces the indirect object (to/for whom). Example: le (to her) → Le doy el libro.
- Enclitic: a pronoun attached to the end of a non-finite verb (infinitive or gerund). Example: verlo, explicándotelo.
- Proclitic: a pronoun placed before a conjugated (finite) verb. Example: Lo quiero ver.
- Gerund: Spanish form ending in -ando/-iendo/-yendo used for continuous actions (English -ing). Example: leyendo = reading.
- Infinitive: the basic verb form, usually ending in -ar/-er/-ir (to + verb in English). Example: ver = to see.

Final tip: When in doubt, make the sentence with the pronoun before the conjugated verb—this is always safe. Use attached forms for shorter flow or to match natural spoken phrasing, and remember to check for required accent marks when you attach pronouns.