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Spanish (Latin America)

### The "Se Lo" Rule

Indirect object pronouns (the person) always come before direct object pronouns (the thing). But what happens when you want to say "I give it to *him*" or "I return it to *her*"?

You might expect to put **le** or **les** right in front of **lo**, **la**, **los**, or **las**. However, Spanish avoids saying "le lo" or "les la" because it sounds awkward.

Instead, whenever **le** or **les** comes right before **lo**, **la**, **los**, or **las**, it changes to **se**.

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### Singular and Plural

This change applies whether the recipient is singular (him, her, you formal) or plural (them, you all). The indirect pronoun simply becomes **se**.

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### Context is Key

Because **se** replaces both **le** and **les**, it can mean "to him," "to her," "to them," or "to you (formal)." Context usually makes it clear who is receiving the item.

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The 'se lo' rule (se lo, se la)

adjective

adverb

auxiliary verb

conjunction

determiner

expression

interjection

noun

numeral

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Definite articles and 'to be' (el, la, soy)

Masculine and feminine pairs (el hermano, la hermana)

Basic sentences and negation (no)

Indefinite articles (un, una)

Formal and informal you (tú vs. usted)

Plural pronouns and the verb to be (somos, son)

Making nouns plural (-s, -es)

Plural articles (los, las, unos, unas)

Noun gender exceptions

Adjective agreement

Invariable adjectives

State and location (estar)

Ser vs. estar

There is / there are (hay)

Hay vs. estar

To have (tener)

Possession (de)

Possessive adjectives (mi, tu, su)

Regular -ar verbs

Yes/No questions

What and who (qué, quién)

Regular -er verbs

Regular -ir verbs

Asking where (dónde, adónde)

How, when, and why (cómo, cuándo, por qué)

How much and how many (cuánto)

Days of the week

Going to a place (ir a)

Preposition contractions (al, del)

In and by (en)

With me and with you (conmigo, contigo)

Prepositional pronouns (mí, ti)

Conjunctions (y, o, pero)

Giving reasons (porque)

Stem-changing verbs (e to ie)

Stem-changing verbs (o to ue)

Stem-changing verbs (e to i)

Irregular yo forms (hago, salgo)

To know (saber vs. conocer)

Weather expressions (hace, está)

Desires and plans (querer)

Ability and requests (poder)

Obligations (tener que)

Expressing likes (me gusta)

Plural likes (me gustan)

Verbs like gustar (encantar, doler)

Very vs. a lot (muy, mucho)

Numbers 0 to 15 (cero, uno, dos…)

Numbers 16 to 31 (dieciséis, veinte…)

Numbers 30 to 1000 (treinta, cien, mil)

Months of the year (enero, febrero, marzo)

Seasons and dates (el dos de mayo)

Telling time (es la..., son las...)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th (primero, segundo, tercero)

Reflexive pronouns and verbs (me, te, se, nos)

Direct object pronouns (lo, la, los, las)

The near future (ir a)

The present continuous (estar + -ando, -iendo)

Near demonstrative adjectives (este, esta, estos, estas)

Medium demonstrative adjectives (ese, esa, esos, esas)

Comparatives of inequality (más / menos ... que)

Comparatives of equality (tan ... como)

Indefinite and negative pronouns (algo, nada, alguien, nadie)

Affirmative commands

Far demonstratives (aquel, aquella)

Possessive pronouns (el mío, el tuyo)

Shortened indefinite adjectives (algún, ningún)

Adverbs of quantity (demasiado, bastante)

Adverbs of frequency (a menudo, a veces)

Adverb formation (-mente)

Exclamations (¡Qué...!)

Irregular comparatives (mejor, peor, mayor, menor)

Relative superlatives (el más... de)

Adjective intensification (-ísimo)

Indirect object pronouns

Pronoun placement with infinitives

Double object pronouns (me lo, te la)

Impersonal statements (se)

Impersonal obligation (hay que)

Personal obligation (deber)

Starting actions (empezar a)

Finishing and quitting actions (terminar de, dejar de)

Repeating actions (volver a)

Continuing actions (seguir + gerundio)

Complex prepositions of place (encima de, debajo de...)

Question	Answer
the manager	el gerente
the jewel	la joya
to him / to her / to them / to you (formal)	se
The manager wants the jewel, but I am not giving it to him.	El gerente quiere la joya, pero no se la doy.
the necklace	el collar
damaged	dañado
to return (an item)	devolver
The necklace is damaged. I am returning it to the store.	El collar está dañado. Se lo devuelvo a la tienda.
the perfume	el perfume
to recommend	recomendar
She is going to buy the perfume. I recommend it to her.	Ella va a comprar el perfume. Se lo recomiendo.
the thoughtful gift / the detail	el detalle
to give (a gift)	regalar
It is a beautiful thoughtful gift. Are you going to give it to him?	Es un hermoso detalle. ¿Se lo vas a regalar?
the signature	la firma
The manager needs your signature. Are you sending it to him today?	El gerente necesita tu firma. ¿Se la envías hoy?
The jewel is very expensive. He gives it to her as a gift.	La joya es muy cara. Él se la regala.
The customer has a problem with the necklace and returns it to him.	El cliente tiene un problema con el collar y se lo devuelve.
The package is damaged. I am showing it to the manager.	El paquete está dañado. Se lo muestro al gerente.
Do you want those perfumes? I recommend them to you.	¿Ustedes quieren esos perfumes? Se los recomiendo.
It is a perfect thoughtful gift. I am going to deliver it to her tomorrow.	Es un detalle perfecto. Se lo voy a entregar mañana.
The lady asks for your signature. I am going to give it to her.	La señora pide tu firma. Se la voy a dar.