Combined Pronouns with Infinitives and Gerunds

When a sentence contains an infinitive or a gerund together with a conjugated helping verb, combined object pronouns (indirect + direct) can sit in one of two places. Both positions are completely correct, and both are used daily in Latin American Spanish. You just need to know the rules — and you need to be ready to read both forms even if you settle on saying only one.

Two positions, one meaning

The rule applies to any verb pair where a conjugated verb is followed by an infinitive (quiero dar, voy a decir, puedo explicar) or a gerund (estoy diciendo, sigo pensando). You can attach the pronouns to the end of the infinitive or gerund, or you can place them before the conjugated verb.

Both versions mean exactly the same thing. Native speakers switch between them without thinking, often based on rhythm or emphasis. Learners can pick whichever feels easier and be understood perfectly.

With gerunds (the -ndo form)

Gerunds behave the same way. You can attach the pronouns to the gerund or move them in front of the conjugated verb of estar, seguir, ir, venir, etc.

The choice between estoy diciéndotelo and te lo estoy diciendo is purely stylistic in Latin American Spanish — neither is more correct than the other.

Why both positions exist

Spanish object pronouns started life as freely floating little words and then, over centuries, fused to verbs in some contexts. With infinitives and gerunds the language never quite settled, and modern speakers retained the choice. So when you hear a Mexican speaker say "Voy a decírtelo" and an Argentine say "Te lo voy a decir", you are hearing the same grammar, not two dialects.

Written accents when pronouns are attached

This is the part most learners stumble on. When you attach pronouns to the end of an infinitive or gerund, the stress of the original word doesn't change — but because Spanish spelling rules require a written accent whenever the stressed syllable falls far enough from the end, you almost always have to add one.

• Infinitive + two pronouns → add an accent on the stressed vowel of the infinitive: dar → dár-te-lo, decir → de-cír-me-lo, explicar → ex-pli-cár-se-lo.
• Gerund + one or two pronouns → add an accent on the -a- or -ie- of the ending: diciendo → di-cién-do-me-lo, dando → dán-do-se-lo, explicando → ex-pli-cán-do-te-lo.

Full examples you will hear every day

These pairs show the two positions in action with very common verbs.

When the two positions aren't equal

Although both positions are grammatical, the attached position tends to sound a little more neutral or slightly more formal in writing, while the pre-verbal position is extremely common in speech. If you are unsure, place the pronouns before the conjugated verb — it's the safer default in Latin American conversation.

A few common verb pairings strongly prefer one position over the other in everyday speech: ir a + infinitive leans pre-verbal ("te lo voy a contar" sounds slightly more natural than "voy a contártelo"), while compound progressives with seguir often sound smoother with the attached form ("sigue contándomelo").

Commands are different

Watch out: with affirmative commands the pronouns must attach, and with negative commands they must go before the verb. That's a separate rule — see commands and pronouns for the details. The two-position freedom described on this page applies only to infinitives and gerunds.

What about chains of three verbs?

Sometimes you stack a third verb in (vas a poder decirme, tienes que estar pensándolo). The same rules apply, just with more flexibility about which infinitive or gerund the pronouns attach to. The safest move is to put them at the very front, before the first conjugated verb.

Both work. What you cannot do is leave one pronoun at the front and attach the other one — they must travel as a pair.

A small accent practice

Try saying these aloud and notice the stress staying on the same syllable as in the bare infinitive or gerund:

The accent is just spelling — your mouth was already going to stress that syllable.

Once you are comfortable moving combined pronouns around infinitives and gerunds, the rest of the object-pronoun system starts to feel much more flexible. Review double object pronouns if you need a refresher on order, and se lo / se la for the special case when two l-pronouns collide. For placement with single pronouns, see direct object placement.