Learn Spanish (Spain): La cámara es muy cara. Nunca te la presto. - The camera is very expensive. I never lend it to you.

La cámara es muy cara. Nunca te la presto.

The camera is very expensive. I never lend it to you.

Breakdown of La cámara es muy cara. Nunca te la presto.

to you / yourself (reflexive) / you (direct object)

caro

expensive

Questions & Answers about La cámara es muy cara. Nunca te la presto.

Why are the pronouns in the order te la?

When you use two object pronouns together in Spanish, the indirect object (the person receiving the action, like te) always comes before the direct object (the thing itself, like la). You can easily remember this rule as people always come before things!

What does the la refer to in the second sentence?

It refers to la cámara (the camera). Because cámara is a feminine noun, you must use the feminine pronoun la to say it. If you were talking about a masculine object like a telephone (el teléfono), you would use lo instead.

How do we know who is lending the camera?

The subject is built right into the verb. Presto is the I form of the verb prestar (to lend). Since te means to you, the whole phrase te la presto means I lend it to you.

Can I put nunca between the pronouns and the verb?

No, object pronouns like te and la are permanently glued to the front of a conjugated verb like presto. Words that make the sentence negative, like no or nunca (never), must always go before the pronouns.