Questions & Answers about Le digo la verdad a él.
Why does the sentence use both le and a él? Isn't that saying "him" twice?
Yes, it is! In Spanish, it's very common (and often required) to use the indirect object pronoun (le) even when you explicitly state who is receiving the action (a él). Since le can mean "to him," "to her," or "to you (formal)," adding a él clarifies exactly who you are talking about.
Why do we use the indirect object pronoun le here instead of a direct object pronoun like lo?
With verbs of communication like decir (to tell), the information being told (la verdad) is the direct object because it is what is being said. The person receiving that information is the indirect object. We use le because the action of telling the truth is directed to him.
Digo means "I tell," but what is the infinitive verb here?
The infinitive is decir (to say or to tell). It has a highly irregular yo (I) form in the present tense: digo. The other forms follow a stem-changing pattern, like dices (you say) or dice (he or she says).
Why does le go before the verb instead of after it?
In Spanish, object pronouns like le must go directly before a conjugated verb. You only attach them to the end of the word if the verb is an infinitive, a gerund (like words ending in -ing in English), or a positive command.