To Whom? Indirect Object Pronouns
When you tell a secret, hand over a document, or lend a car, you are directing an action to someone. In Spanish, we use indirect object pronouns to indicate to whom (or for whom) an action is done.
They are essential when using verbs of transfer or communication, like decir (to tell), prestar (to lend), and mostrar (to show).
| Pronoun | Meaning |
|---|---|
| me | to/for me |
| te | to/for you |
| le | to/for him, her, you (formal) |
| nos | to/for us |
| les | to/for them, you all |
In a standard sentence, these pronouns go right before the conjugated verb.
| Are you telling me a secret? | ¿Me dices un secreto? |
| She lends us the car. | Ella nos presta el carro. |
| I promise you a gift. | Te prometo un regalo. |
Clarifying "Le" and "Les"
Because le and les can refer to several different people (him, her, them, etc.), you will often see a phrase starting with a (like a él or al profesor) added to the sentence to clarify exactly who is receiving the action.
Notice a common rule of Spanish: even when you explicitly name the person receiving the action, you still keep the indirect object pronoun (le or les) in the sentence!
| I tell him the truth. | Le digo la verdad a él. |
| They show the teacher the photo. | Ellos le muestran la foto al profesor. |
| The grandfather tells the children a story. | El abuelo les cuenta un cuento a los niños. |