Pronombres combinados con infinitivos

Spanish has a feature English speakers usually find delightful and then immediately get tripped up by: when a sentence pairs a conjugated verb with an infinitive — quiero decir, voy a contar, puedo hacer — the object pronouns can live in two places. They can sit politely in front of the conjugated verb (Te lo quiero decir), or they can hop to the end of the infinitive and fuse onto it (Quiero decírtelo). Both are grammatical, both are common, and choosing between them is largely a matter of rhythm and style. What is not flexible is the accent: when two pronouns attach to an infinitive, the verb takes a written accent to preserve its original stress. This page covers the two placement options, when to prefer each, and the accent rule that makes the attached form work.

The two placement options

When a sentence contains a conjugated verb + infinitive sequence, combined object pronouns can be placed in two positions. The meaning is exactly the same in both.

Both columns are equally correct in modern peninsular Spanish. Speakers switch fluidly between them — sometimes within the same conversation, even the same sentence — based on rhythm, emphasis, or pure habit.

Same meaning. Same register. Different placement.

When the two pronouns must stay together

Whatever placement you choose, the two pronouns must travel as a unit. You cannot put one pronoun before the conjugated verb and the other attached to the infinitive.

The two pronouns are a single block; their position is a property of the block, not of each pronoun individually.

The accent rule

When the pronoun block attaches to an infinitive, the verb gets a written accent on the syllable that was originally stressed. This is the rule that catches most learners off guard.

Why? Because Spanish stress rules are predictable. Decir is stressed on the final syllable — de-CIR — which is the default for infinitives. Once you add two pronouns (-melo), the new word decirmelo would, by default rules, be stressed on the penultimate syllable: decir-ME-lo. To preserve the original stress on cir, the language writes the accent: decírmelo.

The accent appears on the originally-stressed syllable of the infinitive — contár-, explicár-, llevár-. Spell it without the accent and the word is misspelt; pronounce it without preserving the stress and it sounds non-native.

When the accent is mandatory vs not

The accent rule kicks in based on syllable count, not on whether two pronouns are present. Specifically: an attached cluster needs a written accent whenever the stressed syllable is no longer in one of the two positions where Spanish puts stress by default (penultimate for words ending in vowel/n/s, ultimate for words ending in a consonant).

The pattern is consistent: any time two pronouns attach to an infinitive, you'll need an accent. Single-pronoun attachments to an infinitive typically don't (with rare exceptions involving stem-stress).

Choosing between the two placements — what natives actually do

Both placements are correct, but they aren't quite interchangeable in rhythm and register. Here are the loose tendencies you'll notice once you tune in to Spain Spanish:

Pre-verbal placement (Me lo va a decir) is slightly more common in fast, casual speech. The pronouns lean on the conjugated verb, and the infinitive remains rhythmically light.

Attached placement (Va a decírmelo) is slightly more emphatic — the pronouns are stressed by being closer to the verb's content. It's also slightly more common in writing, where the longer attached form gives the sentence more weight.

Pick whichever your ear finds smoother. Native speakers don't think about it.

The le → se rule applies in both placements

When le/les would meet lo/la/los/las, the substitution to se happens regardless of whether the pronouns are pre-verbal or attached.

The cluster is built first (using SE-TE-ME-LO order with le → se substitution), then placed.

Common verb patterns that take this structure

The two-placement option appears with all the common modal and aspectual verbs that take an infinitive complement.

The peninsular os version

In Spain, when the indirect object is vosotros, the attached form gives you -os- in the middle of the cluster.

The accent rule still applies: contároslo, enseñároslo, mandároslas. Note that in much of Latin America, vosotros is replaced by ustedes, so the attached form would be contárselo — peninsular Spanish keeps the os version alive.

With estar + gerund — quick aside

Although this page is about infinitives, the same two-placement rule applies to estar + gerund (and any conjugated + gerund combination). Mentioning it because learners often conflate the two.

The accent rule for gerunds works the same way: two pronouns attached to a gerund need a written accent on the originally-stressed syllable (explicando → explicándotelo).

Comparison with English

English has nothing equivalent. Pronouns in English sit after the verb they belong to, in fixed positions: I'm going to tell it to you. There's no movement, no attachment, no accent rule. The closest English instinct — putting pronouns at the end of an infinitive-like phrase — actually matches the attached version in Spanish: Voy a decírtelo ≈ I'm going to tell you it. Many English speakers find the attached form slightly easier to learn for this reason; it lines up with their default word order.

The "third option" — what isn't allowed

You sometimes see learners try a third placement: putting one pronoun in front of the conjugated verb and another attached to the infinitive. This is not a placement option in standard Spanish.

The pronouns are a unit; they go together.

Common Mistakes

Key takeaways

• With a conjugated verb + infinitive, combined object pronouns can sit before the conjugated verb or attach to the infinitive — both are correct, both equally common.
• The two pronouns are a single unit; they can never be split across the two positions.
• When two pronouns attach to an infinitive, the verb takes a written accent on its originally-stressed syllable: decírmelo, contártelo, explicárselo.
• The le → se substitution applies in both placements.
• Choice between placements is rhythm-driven, not meaning-driven; natives switch freely.
• Peninsular Spanish keeps the os version alive with vosotros: Voy a contároslo.