Question 1

Why does it say se la doy instead of le la doy since we are not giving it to him?

Accepted Answer

This is the core rule for double pronouns! You are right that 'to him' is normally le, and 'it' (the jewel) is la. But Spanish avoids the sound of two L-pronouns in a row like le la. Whenever le or les comes right before lo, la, los, or las, it automatically changes to se.

Question 2

How do I remember which pronoun comes first in se la?

Accepted Answer

The indirect object (who receives the action, se) always goes before the direct object (the thing being acted on, la). A helpful trick is to remember 'people before things.' The person receiving the jewel (se) stands in line before the jewel itself (la).

Question 3

Where is the word for 'I' in the second half of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

It is built right into the verb! The word doy is the 'I' form of the verb dar (to give). Because doy uniquely means 'I give', you do not need to include yo unless you want to add special emphasis.

Question 4

Can I split the pronouns and put the no between them, like se no la doy?

Accepted Answer

No, object pronouns act as an inseparable team. They must stay glued together directly in front of the conjugated verb. The no always goes before the entire pronoun block, making it no se la doy.

El gerente quiere la joya, pero no se la doy.

Breakdown of El gerente quiere la joya, pero no se la doy.

Questions & Answers about El gerente quiere la joya, pero no se la doy.

Learn El gerente quiere la joya, pero no se la doy and more in Spanish