Te gusta la mantequilla. Te la doy para el pan.
You like butter. I will give it to you for the bread.
Breakdown of Te gusta la mantequilla. Te la doy para el pan.
el pan
the bread
para
for
dar
to give
gustar
to like
te
to you / you (direct object)
la
it / her (direct object)
la mantequilla
the butter
Questions & Answers about Te gusta la mantequilla. Te la doy para el pan.
Why are the pronouns in the order te la?
In Spanish, when you have two object pronouns together, the indirect object (who receives the action, te) always goes before the direct object (the thing being acted on, la). A handy trick is to remember 'people before things.' Both pronouns are placed right before the conjugated verb doy.
What does la stand for in this sentence?
La means 'it' and refers back to la mantequilla (the butter). Since mantequilla is a feminine noun, we must use the feminine direct object pronoun la instead of the masculine lo.
The translation says 'I will give,' but isn't doy present tense?
Yes, doy literally means 'I give.' In Spanish, the present tense is very often used to talk about the immediate future, especially when you are making an offer or promising to do something right now.
Why do we use para and not por for 'for the bread'?
You use para here because it shows the purpose or the destination of the butter. Whenever something is intended 'for' a specific use or thing, para is the right choice.
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