
When you first start learning Spanish, building your vocabulary is the most pressing goal.
That's why I recommend you focus on speaking and listening to real, authentic Spanish from the very beginning. Part of your Spanish language journey, however, will include learning specific grammar rules.
In fact, if you've been reading and listening to as much Spanish as possible, you're probably using Spanish indirect object pronouns already!
There will come a pointโand maybe you're there alreadyโwhere you have specific questions about which pronoun to use when.
That's where this article comes in. In it, you will findโฆ
- The difference between direct and indirect object pronouns
- The 6 indirect object pronouns in Spanish
- Which verbs take indirect objects
- Using indirect object pronouns
- How to order direct and indirect object pronouns in the same sentence
If you're confused by direct and indirect object pronouns in Spanish, you're not alone.
But don't worry. By the time you finish this article, you will be able to use Spanish indirect object pronouns right!

Pro Tip
By the way, if you want to learn Spanish through stories, not rules, my top recommendation for language learners is my Uncovered courses, which teach you through StoryLearningยฎ. Click here to find out more and try out the method for free.
So let's get into it. By the way, if you prefer videos, you can also watch me explain Spanish indirect object pronouns here.
Table of Contents
What's The Difference Between Spanish Direct And Indirect Object Pronouns?

If you've read my article on Spanish direct object pronouns, you'll remember that direct object pronouns are pronouns that replace the direct object that accompanies transitive verbs like llamar (to call), seguir (to follow), and encontrar (to find).
There's also a much more detailed explanation of pronouns and antecedents in that article if you need a refresher of how pronouns work.
Here's a brief reminder of how direct object pronouns work if you don't need the whole explanation again:
The direct object answers the questions โwhat?โ and โwhom?โ after each transitive verb.
Here's an example:
- Llamรฉ a mi hermano (I called my brother)
- Lo llamรฉ (I called him)
Who did I call? Mi hermano (my brother).
In the second sentence, the pronoun lo replaces mi hermano as the object accompanying the verb llamar (to call).
Indirect object pronouns, on the other hand, answer the questions โto whom?โ and โfor whom?โ

For exampleโฆ
- Le comprรฉ un libro a mi hermano (I bought a book for my brother)
- Le comprรฉ un libro (I bought a book for him)
For whom did I buy a book? The answer to that question is the indirect object pronoun in this sentence. I bought the book for mi hermano, which is replaced by the indirect object pronoun le.
And that's the difference between direct and indirect object pronouns:
- Direct object pronouns receive the direct action of the verb. They tell you who or what is called, kicked, searched for, etc.
- Indirect object pronouns are indirectly affected by the verb. They tell you for whom something is bought, given, told, etc.
A List Of Indirect Pronouns In Spanish

There are only six indirect object pronouns for you to remember in Spanish:
- me (to/for me)
- te (to/for you)
- le (to for him/her, you (formal))
- nos (to/for us)
- os (to/for you (informal, plural)
- les (to/for them, you (plural/formal))
You may have noticed one more practical difference between direct and indirect object pronouns in the previous examplesโฆ
Third person indirect objects appear in the sentence even when you also use the indirect object pronoun (the le in our example):
- Le comprรฉ un libro a mi hermano (I bought a book for my brother)
That's because the third person indirect object pronouns are not gender specific.
As a result, the indirect object is often stated along with the pronoun to avoid confusion.
Sometimes even native Spanish speakers get a little confused with Spanish indirect object pronouns. Find out more in the video below about le vs les.

Which Spanish Verbs Take Indirect Objects?
Whether or not a verb takes an indirect object depends quite a bit on how the verb is used in the sentence. For example, here are two very similar sentences. In the first, decir does not take an indirect object. In the second, it does.
- Dije que no irรญa a la fiesta (I said I would not go to the party)
- Te dije que no irรญa a la fiesta (I told you that I would not go to the party)
Here is a list of verbs that often take indirect objects, when these actions are to or for someone:
- comprar(le) algo (to buy something)
- contar(le)/decir(le) algo (to tell or say something)
- dar(le) algo (to give something)
- mostrar(le) algo (to demonstrate or show something)
- pedir(le) algo (to ask something of someone)
- regalar(le) algo (to gift something)
- servir(le) algo (to serve something)
- traer(le) algo (to bring something)

There are a handful of verbs in Spanish, that always require an indirect object:
- encantarle (to love something)
- faltarle (to miss something)
- gustarle (to like something)
- tocarle (to be someone's turn)
- hacerle falta (to need something)
- importarle (to be interested in)
How To Use Spanish Indirect Object Pronouns

Do you know how to say, โThey like to danceโ in Spanish? If you do, you already know how to use indirect object pronouns.
Let's take a closer look at some examples:
- Les gusta bailar (They like to dance)
- Josuรฉ me regalรณ un libro de poesรญa (Joshua gave me a book of poetry)
In these examples, the indirect object pronoun is fairly straightforward. The pronoun comes before the conjugated verb and after the subject.
In the first sentence, the subject is unstated. You could also say, A ellos les gusta bailar. in which case, the subject would come before the indirect object pronoun. ยฟDe acuerdo?

The indirect object pronoun can also be attached to the end of an infinitive or progressive verbโฆ
- Josuรฉ quiere regalarme un libro de poesรญa (Joshua wants to give me a book of poetry)
- Dame esas tijeras (Give me those scissors)
- El profesor estรก mostrรกndonos la soluciรณn (The professor is showing us the solution)
ยกOjo!: In that last example, notice the accent. Sometimes, when you attach one or more pronouns to the end of a verb, a Spanish accent mark is needed to maintain the natural pronunciation of the verb.
How To Order Direct And Indirect Spanish Pronouns
You can't have an indirect object without a direct object in the same sentence.
Here's an exampleโฆ
- Andrรฉs nos contรณ la historia de su viaje a Rumania (Andrรฉs told us the story of his trip to Romania)
In this sentence, Andrรฉs told something (the story of his trip to Romania) to someone (us).
- What he tells is the direct object.
- To whom he tells it is the indirect object.
In fact, we could replace both objects with pronouns and have the followingโฆ
- Andrรฉs nos la contรณ (Andrรฉs told it to us)
Whenever you have a direct object pronoun and an indirect object pronoun in the same sentence, the indirect object pronoun always comes first.
You may remember from the article on direct object pronouns that they are not generally separated from the transitive verb they modifyโฆeven by something as small as an indirect object pronoun.

Other Word Order Changes And Examples

And what about when no or another Spanish negation is part of the sentence? How does that change the pronoun order?
In general, the negative word comes immediately before the direct and indirect object pronounsโฆ
- Andrรฉs nunca nos la contรณ (Andrรฉs never told it to us)
โฆexcept when the pronoun is attached to the end of the verb. In those situations, the negative term comes immediately before the verb or verb clause instead:
- Josuรฉ no quiere regalarme un libro de poesรญa (Joshua doesn't want to give me a book of poetry)
Let's look other examples of Spanish direct and indirect object pronouns in the same sentence:
- Su hermano va a comprarme el boleto. / Su hermano va a comprรกrmelo (Her brother is going to buy me a ticket. / Her brother is going to buy it for me)
- No quiero hacerles la pregunta. / No quiero hacรฉrsela. (I don't want to ask them the question. / I don't want to ask them it)
Notice that le/les becomes se when followed by an indirect object pronoun.
What about this sentence that appears to only have an indirect object:
- Eric nos escribe cada semana (Eric writes to us every week)
Remember, what he writes is the direct object while to whom he writes is the indirect object.
So what does Eric write? In this case, the direct object is unstated. Eric writes letters or emails every week, but he does write something.
And to whom does he write them? To us!

FAQs About Spanish Indirect Object Pronouns
What is the rule for indirect object pronouns in Spanish?
They tell you for whom something is bought, given, told, etc. They replace the indirect object of a sentence.
There are six indirect object pronouns in Spanish:
-me (for me) Me comprรฉ un libro (I bought myself a book.)
-te (for you) Te comprรฉ un libro (I bought you a book.)
-le (for him/her, you) Le comprรฉ un libro (I bought him/her/you a book.)
-nos (for us) รl nos comprรณ un libro (He bought us a book.)
-os (for you, plural) Os comprรฉ un libro (I bought you guys a book.)
-les (for them or you, plural) Les comprรฉ un libro (I bought them a book.)
What is a Spanish indirect object pronoun example?
Let's take a closer look at some examples:
Les gusta bailar (They like to dance)
Josuรฉ me regalรณ un libro de poesรญa (Joshua gave me a book of poetry)
In these examples, the indirect object pronoun is fairly straightforward. The pronoun comes before the conjugated verb and after the subject.
What is the difference between IOP and DOP in Spanish?
Direct object pronouns receive the direct action of the verb.
They represent the person or thing directly affected by the verb's action, and tell you who or what is called, kicked, searched for, etc.
Indirect object pronouns are indirectly affected by the verb. They tell you the recipient or beneficiary of the action, that is, for whom something is bought, given, told, etc.
Here's an example:
Andrรฉs nos contรณ la historia de su viaje a Rumania (Andrรฉs told us the story of his trip to Romania.)
In this sentence, Andrรฉs told something (the story of his trip to Romania) to someone (us). What he tells is the direct object. To whom he tells it is the indirect object.
If we replace both objects with the pronouns, we can see the difference between them:
Andrรฉs nos la contรณ (Andrรฉs told it to us)
Nos is the indirect object pronoun, and la the direct object pronoun.
What are 5-10 words in Spanish that often use indirect object pronouns with them?
1. Comprar (to buy) โ Juan le compra un regalo a Marรญa (Juan buys a gift for Marรญa).
2. Contar (to tell or say) โ Pedro va a contarle un secreto a Carlos (Pedro is going to tell Carlos a secret).
3. Dar (to give) โ El alcalde le dio la llave de la ciudad al actor (The mayor gave the city key to the actor).
4. Mostrar (to demonstrate or show) โ Vengan conmigo, que quiero mostrarles algo especial (Come with me, I want to show you something special).
5. Pedir (to ask) โ El entrenador nos pidiรณ que diรฉramos nuestro mayor esfuerzo (The coach asked us to give our biggest effort).
6. Regalar (to gift) โ Este aรฑo quiero regalarte algo que puedas devolver si no te gusta (This year I want to gift you something you can return if you don't like it).
7. Servir (to serve) โ ยฟPuede servirnos el postre? (Could you serve us dessert?)
8. Traer algo (to bring) โ ยฟPuedo traeros algo del supermercado? (Can I bring you something from the supermarket?)
When should I attach the indirect and direct object pronoun to the end of a verb?
โJosuรฉ quiere regalarme un libro de poesรญa (Joshua wants to give me a book of poetry)
โDame esas tijeras (Give me those scissors)
โEl profesor estรก mostrรกndonos la soluciรณn (The professor is showing us the solution)
The direct object pronoun must be attached to the verb when itโs an affirmative command:
โLรฉanlo (Read it)
And can be attached when the transitive verb is in the infinitive form:
โVoy a leerlo (I am going to read it)
Using Spanish Indirect Object Pronouns With Confidence

Now that you know how to identify the indirect object in a sentence and how to properly use and order Spanish indirect object pronouns, you're ready to use these six little pronouns as often as you want.
In the end, the best way to master indirect object pronouns is to jump right in and follow the rules of StoryLearning by reading books in Spanish. As you read, you'll see Spanish indirect object pronouns popping up again and again and they'll soon become second nature.
Mistakes will happen, but they will be less common than you think!
Don't let fear keep you from making the most of the Spanish language and using both Spanish direct and indirect object pronouns for convenience and fluency.
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