When you give a command and use both an indirect and a direct object pronoun, the rules from single-pronoun commands still apply — with one extra wrinkle. In affirmative commands, both pronouns attach to the verb (forming one long word), and the accent mark is almost always needed. In negative commands, both pronouns go before the verb.
Affirmative: attach both
Both pronouns attach to the end of the command verb. The order is indirect + direct, the same ID ordering covered in Combined Order.
¡Dámelo!
Give it to me! (da + me + lo = dámelo.)
¡Cómpratelos!
Buy them for yourself!
¡Explícamelo!
Explain it to me!
¡Léemela!
Read it to me!
The accent is (almost) always required
Adding two syllables to a command word pushes the stressed syllable backwards. Spanish spelling rules demand a written accent to preserve the original stress.
| Verb |
| Stress |
|---|---|---|
| da (give) | dámelo | DÁ-me-lo |
| explica (explain) | explícamelo | ex-PLÍ-ca-me-lo |
| manda (send) | mándamelo | MÁN-da-me-lo |
| cuenta (tell) | cuéntamela | CUÉN-ta-me-la |
| lee (read) | léemelas | LÉ-e-me-las |
Le → se before lo/la/los/las
The same phonetic rule applies in commands: if the indirect pronoun is le or les, it changes to se before lo/la/los/las.
¡Dáselo!
Give it to him/her! (da + le → se + lo = dáselo.)
¡Cómpraselo!
Buy it for him/her!
¡Mándaselas!
Send them to him/her!
¡Dígaselo, por favor!
Tell it to him, please! (Formal command with two attached pronouns.)
Negative: before the verb, no accent
In a negative command, both pronouns go before the verb — no attachment, no accent. The word no leads, then the two pronouns, then the verb.
¡No me lo des!
Don't give it to me!
¡No se lo digas!
Don't tell it to him/her!
¡No me las muestres!
Don't show them to me!
¡No te lo comas!
Don't eat it!
Side-by-side comparison
| Affirmative | Negative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ¡Dámelo! | ¡No me lo des! | Give it to me! / Don't give it to me! |
| ¡Cuéntamelo! | ¡No me lo cuentes! | Tell me it! / Don't tell me it! |
| ¡Mándaselo! | ¡No se lo mandes! | Send it to him! / Don't send it to him! |
| ¡Tráenoslas! | ¡No nos las traigas! | Bring them to us! / Don't bring them to us! |
Notice the pattern: affirmative commands are one word (with an accent); negative commands are four words (no + me + lo + verb).
All four command registers
The rule works the same across tú, usted, nosotros, and ustedes commands.
Tú (informal)
¡Dímelo!
Tell it to me!
Usted (formal)
¡Dígamelo!
Tell it to me! (Formal.)
Nosotros (let's...)
¡Digámoselo!
Let's tell it to him!
Ustedes (plural)
¡Díganmelo!
Tell it to me, you all!
In the nosotros command, note that the final s of the affirmative -mos drops before nos: digamos + nos → digámonos (not digámosnos).
Common patterns to memorize
Certain combinations come up constantly in spoken Spanish. Learning these set phrases will carry you a long way.
¡Dímelo todo!
Tell me everything!
¡Cómpratelos ya!
Buy them for yourself right now!
¡Explícaselo a tu padre!
Explain it to your father!
¡Mándamelo por favor!
Send it to me, please!
Reflexive + direct object
If the command is reflexive and takes a direct object, the order is still reflexive + direct. The reflexive counts as an "indirect-like" slot.
¡Póntelo!
Put it on! (Reflexive ponerse + lo.)
¡Lávatelas!
Wash them (your hands)!
¡No te lo pongas!
Don't put it on!
Voseo commands with two pronouns
In voseo regions, the vos command form attaches both pronouns just like tú does. The affirmative vos command ends in a stressed vowel (decí, contá, mirá), so attaching pronouns works the same way.
¡Decímelo!
Tell it to me! (Rioplatense voseo.)
¡Contámelo todo!
Tell me everything!
Common mistakes
❌ ¡Dá me lo!
Wrong. The pronouns must be attached without spaces: '¡Dámelo!'
❌ ¡No dámelo!
Wrong. Negative commands place pronouns before the verb: '¡No me lo des!'
❌ ¡No le lo digas!
Wrong — must apply the le → se rule: '¡No se lo digas!'
Summary
- Affirmative command + two pronouns: both attach, in ID order, usually with an accent.
- Negative command + two pronouns: both go before the verb, no accent.
- Le/les becomes se before lo/la/los/las.
- The rule is the same across tú, usted, nosotros, and ustedes commands — and in voseo.
- A single word in the affirmative becomes four words in the negative.
This concludes the pronouns section. Return to the Subject Pronouns Overview or jump to the next chapter to continue your Spanish journey.
Related Topics
- Combined Object Pronouns: Order RulesB1 — When indirect and direct object pronouns appear together, which comes first
- Direct Object Pronouns with CommandsB1 — Attached to affirmative commands (with accent), before negative commands
- Le/Les → Se before Lo/La/Los/LasB1 — When two pronouns combine, le and les become se to avoid the sound le lo