Spanish gives you a choice that English doesn't even have a word for. When a clitic pronoun (me, te, lo, la, le, nos, os, los, las, se) belongs to an infinitive or gerund that sits inside a two-verb construction, you can put the clitic in either of two places: glued to the non-finite verb (quiero hacerlo, voy a llamarte, está diciéndomelo), or floating up in front of the finite verb (lo quiero hacer, te voy a llamar, me lo está diciendo). Both options are fully grammatical. Native speakers do this hundreds of times a day, often without noticing.
The phenomenon has a name: clitic climbing (subida de clíticos). This page covers when it's allowed, when it isn't, and why peninsular Spanish so often prefers the climbed version in everyday speech.
The basic alternation
With a finite verb that takes an infinitive (or gerund) as its complement, the clitic that "logically" belongs to the non-finite verb has two homes.
Quiero hacerlo ya.
I want to do it now. (enclitic — clitic stays glued to the infinitive)
Lo quiero hacer ya.
I want to do it now. (climbed — clitic jumps up before 'quiero')
Voy a llamarte luego.
I'll call you later. (enclitic on the infinitive)
Te voy a llamar luego.
I'll call you later. (climbed in front of 'voy')
Está diciéndomelo otra vez.
He's telling it to me again. (enclitic on the gerund)
Me lo está diciendo otra vez.
He's telling it to me again. (climbed in front of 'está')
The meaning is identical. The two sentences describe exactly the same situation, with the same emphasis. The choice is stylistic, not semantic.
Where climbing is allowed: the trigger list
Climbing isn't possible with any two verbs. It happens only when the finite verb belongs to a recognised class of "trigger" verbs — modal, aspectual, causative, or perception verbs that combine with an infinitive or gerund to form a tight syntactic unit. The good news: this class is closed and learnable.
Modal verbs + infinitive
| Construction | Climbed | Enclitic |
|---|---|---|
poder
| lo puedo hacer | puedo hacerlo |
deber
| te debo decir | debo decirte |
querer
| la quiero ver | quiero verla |
saber
| lo sé hacer | sé hacerlo |
tener que
| me lo tienes que dar | tienes que dármelo |
haber de
| se ha de cumplir | ha de cumplirse |
pensar
| lo pienso hacer | pienso hacerlo |
necesitar
| te necesito ver | necesito verte |
No te puedo ayudar ahora mismo, estoy reunido.
I can't help you right now, I'm in a meeting.
Tenemos que hablarlo antes de que lleguen.
We have to talk about it before they get here.
Aspectual periphrases (infinitive or gerund)
These are the constructions covered in the verbs/periphrastic group — ir a, acabar de, estar + gerund, seguir + gerund, empezar a, dejar de, volver a, ponerse a, llevar + gerund, andar + gerund. Every one of them allows climbing.
Acabo de verla en la cafetería.
I just saw her in the cafeteria. (enclitic)
La acabo de ver en la cafetería.
I just saw her in the cafeteria. (climbed)
Llevo dos años estudiándolo.
I've been studying it for two years.
Lo llevo dos años estudiando.
I've been studying it for two years. (climbed — fine but slightly less common)
Empezó a llamarme todos los días.
He started calling me every day.
Me empezó a llamar todos los días.
He started calling me every day. (climbed)
Causative and perception verbs
Hacer, mandar, dejar, permitir + infinitive — and the perception verbs ver, oír, mirar, escuchar + infinitive — also license climbing.
Le hice esperar media hora.
I made him wait half an hour.
Hice esperarle media hora.
I made him wait half an hour. (also OK, less natural)
No nos dejan pasar.
They won't let us through.
La oí cantar en la ducha.
I heard her singing in the shower.
Oí cantarla en la ducha.
I heard it being sung in the shower. (note: this changes meaning — 'la' is now what's sung, not the singer)
That last pair is a reminder that, occasionally, climbing genuinely changes what the clitic refers to — usually only when there's another possible antecedent in the sentence. With unambiguous referents, the two positions are interchangeable.
Where climbing is not possible
Climbing requires the two verbs to be in the same clause. The moment a complementiser que sits between them, you have two separate clauses, and the clitic stays where it belongs — with its own verb.
Quiero que lo hagas tú.
I want you to do it. (different subjects — 'lo' belongs to 'hagas', cannot climb to 'quiero')
❌ Lo quiero que hagas tú.
Wrong — across a 'que' boundary, climbing is impossible.
Te digo que vengas pronto.
I'm telling you to come soon. ('te' is the indirect object of 'digo'; 'vengas' has no clitic of its own here.)
Le pido que me llame mañana.
I'm asking him to call me tomorrow. ('le' goes with 'pido'; 'me' goes with 'llame'. They stay put.)
This is the single most reliable test: if you can replace the construction with a que-clause, you can't climb. Quiero que lo hagas (different subject) cannot become lo quiero que hagas. Quiero hacerlo (same subject) can become lo quiero hacer because there is no que, no separate clause.
A useful way to feel this rule: the trigger verbs (querer, poder, ir a, empezar a…) form a single complex predicate with the infinitive. They behave almost like auxiliaries. Across a que boundary, you have a real subordinate clause, and clitics can't cross that boundary.
Triple climbing: stacked periphrases
When you stack two or more triggers, the clitic can climb all the way up to the highest finite verb. Each step of the chain is independently optional.
Voy a tener que decírtelo en algún momento.
I'll have to tell you at some point. (enclitic at the bottom)
Voy a tenértelo que decir en algún momento.
I'll have to tell you at some point. (climbed one step)
Te lo voy a tener que decir en algún momento.
I'll have to tell you at some point. (climbed all the way up — most natural in speech)
In peninsular Spanish, the all-the-way-up option (te lo voy a tener que decir) is the most frequent in conversation. The middle option is the least frequent; speakers either climb fully or leave the clitic at the bottom. Mixing climbed and enclitic clitics in the same chain is ungrammatical: ❌me voy a tener que decírtelo mixes positions and sounds broken.
Cluster order is preserved
When you have two clitics, they form a fixed cluster (se before second-person before first-person before third-person — covered in detail on pronouns/combined-order). The order is the same whether the cluster is climbed or enclitic.
Me lo va a explicar mañana.
He's going to explain it to me tomorrow. (climbed: me + lo)
Va a explicármelo mañana.
He's going to explain it to me tomorrow. (enclitic: me + lo)
Se lo tengo que dar antes del viernes.
I have to give it to him before Friday. (climbed: se + lo)
Tengo que dárselo antes del viernes.
I have to give it to him before Friday. (enclitic: se + lo)
You cannot split the cluster across positions — both clitics climb together or both stay together. ❌Me tengo que dárselo mixes positions and is not Spanish.
Accent marks on enclitic clusters
When a clitic (or cluster of clitics) attaches enclitically, the host verb keeps its original stress — and that often means a written accent appears on a previously unaccented syllable. The rule is mechanical: Spanish always marks antepenultimate (esdrújula) and longer stress with a written accent.
| Verb |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| hacer | hacerlo (no accent — paroxytone, regular) | hacérmelo (accent on the verb stem) |
| decir | decirlo (no accent) | decírmelo (accent on -cir-) |
| dando | dándolo (accent — antepenult stress) | dándomelo (accent) |
| diciendo | diciéndolo (accent) | diciéndomelo (accent) |
If you climb the clitics, the accent disappears because the verb is no longer carrying the cluster: me lo está diciendo (no accent on diciendo) vs está diciéndomelo (accent required). This is one practical reason to climb — you don't have to remember the accent rule.
Register: climbing vs enclisis
Both positions are heard in Spain at every register. Some tendencies:
- Climbing (pre-verbal) is slightly more frequent in everyday speech, especially in fast informal exchanges. Te lo digo luego, me lo tienes que prestar, no se lo voy a contar.
- Enclisis (post-verbal) is slightly more frequent in careful writing, formal speech, and slower delivery. Tengo que decírtelo, acaban de comunicárselo a la familia, vamos a explicárselo en detalle.
- Some periphrases lean one way: acabar de
- infinitive sounds slightly more idiomatic with climbing in spoken Spain (la acabo de ver); estar
- gerund leans slightly toward enclisis in writing (está leyéndolo) but toward climbing in speech (lo está leyendo).
- infinitive sounds slightly more idiomatic with climbing in spoken Spain (la acabo de ver); estar
These are tendencies, not rules. You will not be misunderstood with either option, and you will hear both from the same speaker within minutes.
Negation and clitic position
The negator no always sits immediately before the cluster (when the clitics climb) or before the finite verb (when they don't climb). It never separates the cluster from the verb.
No te lo voy a decir.
I'm not going to tell you. (climbed — 'no' before the cluster)
No voy a decírtelo.
I'm not going to tell you. (enclitic — 'no' before 'voy')
No quiero verlos hoy.
I don't want to see them today.
No los quiero ver hoy.
I don't want to see them today.
A useful diagnostic for learners
When you write a Spanish sentence with a two-verb construction, ask yourself:
- Is there a que between the two verbs? → no climbing possible.
- Are the subjects of the two verbs the same? → climbing is likely possible.
- Is the finite verb in the trigger list (modal, aspectual, causative, perception)? → climbing is allowed.
- Are there multiple clitics? → keep them together as a cluster.
- Did you put enclitic clitics on a host that needed an accent? → check and add the accent.
If all four points line up, you can choose freely between lo voy a hacer and voy a hacerlo. Producing both kinds — without panic — is what fluent peninsular Spanish sounds like.
Common Mistakes
❌ Lo quiero que hagas.
Wrong — you cannot climb a clitic across a 'que' boundary. The clitic belongs to 'hagas' and must stay there.
✅ Quiero que lo hagas.
I want you to do it.
❌ Me voy a tener que decírtelo.
Wrong — you cannot mix climbed and enclitic clitics in the same chain. Choose one position for the whole cluster.
✅ Te lo voy a tener que decir.
I'll have to tell you. (fully climbed)
✅ Voy a tener que decírtelo.
I'll have to tell you. (fully enclitic)
❌ Lo me dijo ayer.
Wrong — the cluster order is fixed: indirect-object clitic precedes direct-object clitic. 'Me' (indirect) must come before 'lo' (direct).
✅ Me lo dijo ayer.
He said it to me yesterday.
❌ Esta diciendomelo otra vez.
Wrong — when two clitics attach to a gerund, the host verb needs a written accent: 'diciéndomelo'.
✅ Está diciéndomelo otra vez.
He's telling it to me again.
✅ Me lo está diciendo otra vez.
He's telling it to me again. (no accent needed if you climb)
❌ Quiero hacer lo.
Wrong — enclitic clitics attach to the verb with no space. They form a single orthographic word.
✅ Quiero hacerlo.
I want to do it.
Key takeaways
- With a two-verb construction (modal, aspectual, causative, or perception verb + infinitive/gerund), the clitic can either climb to before the finite verb or stay enclitic on the non-finite verb. Both are fully grammatical.
- Climbing is blocked across a que boundary. Quiero que lo hagas (cannot climb to quiero).
- With stacked periphrases (voy a tener que decírtelo ≈ te lo voy a tener que decir), the clitic can climb to the topmost finite verb. Climb fully or not at all — don't mix positions in the chain.
- Clitic cluster order is fixed regardless of position: se > 2nd person > 1st person > 3rd person.
- Enclitic clitics may force a written accent on the host verb. Climbing removes that requirement.
- In peninsular conversation, climbing tends to dominate in fast speech; enclisis dominates in careful writing. Both are equally correct.
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Start learning Spanish→Related Topics
- Pronombres combinados con infinitivosB1 — When a verb phrase has a conjugated verb plus an infinitive, combined object pronouns can either sit before the conjugated verb (Me lo va a decir) or attach to the end of the infinitive (Va a decírmelo) — both are correct, but the accent on the attached form is non-negotiable.
- 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.
- 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.
- Ir a + infinitivo: futuro y planesA1 — The workhorse near-future construction of spoken peninsular Spanish — voy a + infinitive for plans, intentions, and imminent events.
- Tener que + infinitivo: obligación personalA1 — The everyday Spanish way to say 'I have to' — tengo que + infinitive for personal obligations, requirements, and necessities.
- Perífrasis verbales encadenadasC1 — How Spanish chains multiple verbal periphrases — tendré que ponerme a estudiar, va a tener que dejar de fumar, acabo de empezar a aprender — and the aspect and mood nuances each link adds.