Mi madre encontró el mapa en mi bolsillo y me lo devolvió.

Breakdown of Mi madre encontró el mapa en mi bolsillo y me lo devolvió.

en
in
mi
my
me
me
y
and
la madre
the mother
lo
it
encontrar
to find
el bolsillo
the pocket
el mapa
the map
devolver
to give back
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Questions & Answers about Mi madre encontró el mapa en mi bolsillo y me lo devolvió.

What do the pronouns me and lo stand for, and why are they in that order?
  • me = to/for me (indirect object)
  • lo = it (the map), masculine singular direct object
  • Spanish places the indirect object pronoun before the direct object pronoun: me lo devolvió = she returned it to me.
Why isn’t it me devolvió lo or devolvióme lo?

With a conjugated verb, object pronouns go before the verb and stay together: me lo devolvió. You only attach them to the end with:

  • infinitives: devolvérmelo / me lo devolver
  • gerunds: devolviéndomelo / me lo está devolviendo
  • affirmative commands: Devuélvemelo.
When do we use se lo instead?

se replaces le/les when another third-person direct object pronoun (lo, la, los, las) follows, to avoid le lo. Examples:

  • Mi madre se lo devolvió a él. (= le lo → se lo)
  • Here we use me, so it stays me lo.
Why lo and not la or le?
  • lo agrees with the direct object’s gender/number: el mapa → lo.
  • la would be used for a feminine direct object: la pulsera → me la devolvió.
  • le is for indirect objects (to someone), not for replacing el mapa here.
Why is mapa masculine even though it ends in -a?
It’s one of several Greek-origin nouns in -ma that are masculine: el mapa, el problema, el programa, el tema, el clima, el sistema, el esquema, el poema, el drama.
Is the preterite the best tense in Spain? Could I say ha encontrado… me lo ha devuelto?
Both are possible. In Spain, the present perfect (ha encontrado/ha devuelto) is common for actions within the “today/this week” time frame. The preterite (encontró/devolvió) narrates a completed past event, and is standard everywhere (and preferred in much of Latin America).
Does encontró have a stem change like encuentra?
No. encontrar is stem-changing in the present (encuentra), but regular in the preterite: encontré, encontraste, encontró, etc.
Why are there accents on encontró and devolvió?
Third-person singular preterite typically carries an accent on the final vowel to mark stress: -ó (encontró), -ió (devolvió). Note that dio and vio (from dar and ver) do not take an accent.
Can I use de instead of en with bolsillo?
  • Encontró el mapa en mi bolsillo = she found it in my pocket (location).
  • de mi bolsillo means from/out of: La policía sacó el mapa de mi bolsillo = took it out of my pocket.
Why mi (no accent) and not mí?
  • mi (no accent) is the possessive adjective: mi bolsillo (my pocket).
  • mí (accent) is a stressed pronoun used after prepositions: para mí, a mí.
Is bolsillo the same as bolso or bolsa?
  • bolsillo = pocket (in clothing)
  • bolso = handbag/purse (Spain)
  • bolsa = bag (shopping/plastic bag)
  • cartera = wallet (Spain); in some places, purse/briefcase
Can I drop el mapa and just say Mi madre me lo devolvió?
Yes, if the referent is clear from context. The lo already tells us a masculine singular thing was returned.
Can I say Mi madre me devolvió el mapa instead?
Yes. Both Mi madre me devolvió el mapa and Mi madre me lo devolvió are correct. You can also use a relative clause: Mi madre me devolvió el mapa que encontró en mi bolsillo.
Why not just me lo dio?
dar = to give; devolver = to give back/return. me lo dio can be understood from context, but to express “gave it back,” devolvió is precise. me lo dio de vuelta is common in parts of Latin America; in Spain, me lo devolvió is more natural.
Can I add a mí for emphasis? Where does it go?

Yes, for emphasis or contrast:

  • A mí, mi madre me lo devolvió.
  • Mi madre me lo devolvió a mí. The clitic me remains; a mí adds emphasis.
What’s the difference between volver and devolver?
  • volver = to return/come back (intransitive): Mi madre volvió a casa.
  • devolver = to return something (transitive): Mi madre me devolvió el mapa. Don’t say volvió el mapa.
Why is it y and not e before me?
y becomes e only before words starting with an i sound (y inteligente → e inteligente). Since me starts with m, it stays y me.