Once you know the six indirect object pronouns — me, te, le, nos, os, les — the next question is where to put them. The good news: the placement rules are exactly the same as for direct object pronouns, so if you have already learned one set, you have learned both. The only new twist comes when an indirect object and a direct object appear together: the indirect always comes first. This page covers every slot the indirect object pronoun can occupy, plus the combined-pronoun order, so you can build me lo das, dámelo, me lo está dando and está dándomelo without hesitating.
The four placement positions
Indirect object pronouns appear in exactly the same four positions as direct object pronouns:
- Before a conjugated verb (in any tense, in any mood except the affirmative imperative).
- Attached to an infinitive.
- Attached to a gerund.
- Attached to an affirmative imperative.
In negative commands the pronoun stays in front — the no blocks attachment.
| Verb shape | Pronoun position | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Conjugated verb | In front, separate word | Me da el libro. |
| Infinitive | Attached as suffix | Quiere darme el libro. |
| Gerund | Attached as suffix | Está dándome el libro. |
| Affirmative imperative | Attached as suffix | Dame el libro. |
| Negative imperative | In front, separate word | No me des el libro. |
Position 1: before a conjugated verb
In any tense of the indicative, subjunctive, or conditional — and in the negative imperative — the pronoun sits directly in front of the conjugated verb, written as a separate word. Nothing else goes between the pronoun and the verb except the negation no.
Te mando el contrato esta misma tarde.
I'll send you the contract this very afternoon.
Le dije la verdad porque se la merecía.
I told him the truth because he deserved it.
¿No nos vais a invitar a la boda?
Aren't you guys going to invite us to the wedding?
Os he traído algo de Granada.
I've brought you all something from Granada.
The pronoun cannot float somewhere else in the sentence. Te mando esta tarde el contrato is fine (because esta tarde is a time phrase, not a position the pronoun is occupying), but Mando te el contrato is not.
Position 2: attached to an infinitive
When the verb is in the infinitive — either standing alone (rare) or paired with a conjugated verb — the pronoun attaches to the end as a suffix, with no space.
No quiero molestarte a estas horas.
I don't want to bother you at this hour.
Hay que decirle la verdad cuanto antes.
We have to tell her the truth as soon as possible.
Acabo de mandarles las fotos.
I just sent them the photos.
In a verbo conjugado + infinitivo sequence, the pronoun has the dual-position option explained in detail on the direct object with infinitives page: it can climb to the front of the conjugated verb, or stay attached to the infinitive. Both are correct and natural.
Te quiero decir una cosa.
I want to tell you something.
Quiero decirte una cosa.
I want to tell you something.
Os vamos a echar mucho de menos.
We're going to miss you all very much.
Vamos a echaros mucho de menos.
We're going to miss you all very much.
Position 3: attached to a gerund
Gerunds (hablando, comiendo, escribiendo) also accept attached pronouns. When the gerund is alone, the pronoun attaches. When it's used with estar (or ir, andar, seguir, llevar) to form a progressive, both positions are available again — front of the conjugated verb or attached to the gerund.
Está contándome lo que pasó anoche.
He's telling me what happened last night.
Me está contando lo que pasó anoche.
He's telling me what happened last night.
Pensándolo bien, te debo una disculpa.
On reflection, I owe you an apology.
When the pronoun attaches to a gerund, an accent appears on the gerund's stressed vowel because the resulting word is now an esdrújula: contándome, pensándolo, dándole. The -ndo ending pushes the stress two or three syllables back from the final pronoun, so the accent is obligatory.
Position 4: attached to affirmative imperatives
The affirmative imperative attracts the pronoun as a suffix, exactly as it does with direct objects. Negative imperatives push the pronoun to the front. This polarity-driven split is detailed on the direct object with commands page; the indirect object behaves identically.
Dame un minuto, que estoy acabando.
Give me a minute, I'm just finishing up.
No me des prisa, que ya voy.
Don't rush me, I'm coming.
Cuéntale lo que ha pasado.
Tell him what happened.
No le cuentes nada todavía.
Don't tell him anything yet.
The vosotros command works the same way: contadme, decidnos, escribidle are affirmative attachments; no me contéis, no nos digáis, no le escribáis are negative front-placements.
Both pronouns at once: indirect first, then direct
When an indirect object pronoun and a direct object pronoun appear in the same clause, the indirect always precedes the direct, regardless of position. This is the famous me lo, te la, nos los order — and it never reverses.
Me lo das cuando puedas.
Give it to me when you can.
¿Te la han mandado ya?
Have they sent it to you yet?
Os los traigo mañana.
I'll bring them to you all tomorrow.
Dámelo, por favor.
Give it to me, please.
The order never reverses. Lo me das is impossible — Spanish puts the indirect object first.
Le/les → se before lo/la/los/las
When the indirect le or les would directly precede the direct lo, la, los, or las, Spanish replaces le/les with se to avoid the le-lo sequence. This change is purely phonetic — the se here is not reflexive.
¿El libro de Marta? Se lo devolví anoche.
Marta's book? I gave it back to her last night.
A los niños, díselo en cuanto los veas.
The kids — tell them as soon as you see them.
You cannot say Le lo devolví or Les lo dije — these are ungrammatical in modern Spanish. The replacement is obligatory. The full rule is covered on the le to se page.
With reflexive se
When a reflexive se and an indirect object pronoun appear together, the se comes first. This produces the everyday peninsular construction se me, se te, se le, se nos, se os, se les, used in accidental events, dative of interest, and many reflexive verbs that also take a beneficiary.
Se me ha olvidado el paraguas en el bar.
I left my umbrella at the bar. (literally: the umbrella forgot itself on me)
Se te van a quemar las tostadas.
Your toast is going to burn.
Se le rompió la voz al hablar de su madre.
His voice broke as he spoke about his mother.
Notice how the indirect object pronoun in these constructions identifies the person affected, not the agent. Se me ha olvidado doesn't mean I forgot — it means it slipped my mind. The grammatical subject is the thing that escaped, not the person whose memory failed.
Position vs. emphasis: a mí, a ti, a él
The indirect object pronoun can be reinforced by a redundant prepositional phrase (a mí, a ti, a él, a ella, a nosotros, a vosotros, a ellos, a usted, a ustedes). This is used for emphasis, contrast, or simple disambiguation of 3rd-person le/les.
A mí me da igual, decide tú.
I don't mind, you decide.
A ti te lo digo y a él no.
I'm telling you, not him.
A vosotros os queda muy bien ese color.
That colour really suits you guys.
The prepositional phrase does not replace the pronoun — the pronoun is still obligatory. A mí gusta is wrong; you need a mí me gusta. See emphatic a mí for the full pattern.
Common Mistakes
❌ Yo te doy lo.
Incorrect — both pronouns must precede the conjugated verb together, and the order is indirect-direct.
✅ Te lo doy.
I'll give it to you.
❌ Da me lo.
Incorrect — both pronouns must attach to the affirmative imperative as a single word, with the obligatory accent.
✅ Dámelo.
Give it to me.
❌ Le lo mandé ayer.
Incorrect — le must become se before lo/la/los/las.
✅ Se lo mandé ayer.
I sent it to him/her yesterday.
❌ Está contandome lo que pasó.
Incorrect — when a pronoun attaches to a gerund, the accent on the stressed vowel is mandatory.
✅ Está contándome lo que pasó.
He's telling me what happened.
❌ Lo me das cuando puedas.
Incorrect — the indirect object pronoun must come before the direct object pronoun.
✅ Me lo das cuando puedas.
Give it to me when you can.
Key takeaways
- The placement rules for indirect object pronouns are identical to those for direct objects.
- Four positions: in front of conjugated verbs; attached to infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative commands.
- Negative imperatives push the pronoun back to the front.
- When both pronouns appear, the indirect always comes before the direct: me lo, te la, nos los, os las.
- Attaching a pronoun to a gerund always requires a written accent on the gerund's stressed vowel.
- Le/les becomes se when followed by lo, la, los, las.
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Start learning Spanish→Related Topics
- Pronombres de complemento indirecto: me, te, le, nos, os, lesA1 — The indirect object pronouns mark the recipient or beneficiary of an action (me, te, le, nos, os, les) — and Spanish uses them in many situations where English doesn't, including the famous gustar-type pattern.
- Posición del complemento directoA2 — Where direct object pronouns sit in the Spanish sentence — before a conjugated verb, attached to infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative imperatives — with the obligatory written accent that often follows.
- Complemento directo con infinitivosA2 — With a conjugated verb plus an infinitive (voy a hacerlo / lo voy a hacer), the direct object pronoun can either climb to the front or attach to the infinitive — both are correct and natural.
- Complemento directo con imperativosA2 — In affirmative commands the direct object pronoun attaches to the end (hazlo, cómelos); in negative commands it slides in front (no lo hagas, no los comas) — with a critical accent rule that learners constantly drop.
- Orden de los pronombres: SE-TE-ME-LOA2 — When two or more object pronouns cluster before the same verb, Spanish always orders them the same way — and once you learn the mnemonic SE-TE-ME-LO, you never have to think about it again.
- Cuando 'le' se convierte en 'se' (lo, la, los, las)B1 — When both le/les (indirect) and lo/la/los/las (direct) meet before the same verb, le/les obligatorily becomes 'se' — and this single rule explains the most common cardinal error of intermediate Spanish.