Transcript Indirect Object Pronouns

Indirect Object Pronouns
The Indirect Object
• To identify the indirect object, you must
answer these questions:
-To whom? or For whom? the action
of the verb is performed
• The indirect object also tells us where
the direct object is going.
• Indirect objects are the recipients of
direct objects
Practice
1) Robert bought me lunch.
--The indirect object is “me”. For
whom did Robert buy lunch? For me.
2) I gave the basketball to John.
--The indirect object is John. The
direct object is going to John.
3) John gave the book to Michael.
--The indirect object is Michael. To
whom is the book going? To Michael.
Indirect objects in Spanish
• Like English, the Spanish indirect object
is identified the same way.
-Juan da el libro a Jorge.
The indirect object for this is Jorge. The book
is going to Jorge.
-Julio compro un regalo para Marísol.
The indirect object for this is Marísol. The
book is going to Marísol.
Indirect Objects and Their
Pronouns
• In English we can use pronouns to take
place of the noun. The pronoun goes after
the verb.
- Sarah gave the book to him.
“Him” takes place of the person receiving
the book.
• In Spanish we can use pronouns also to
replace the indirect object. The pronouns go
before the verb.
- Miguel te da el libro.
“Te” takes place of “you” which is the
person receiving the book.
In this sentence, if you ask the question “what,” you
will find the Direct object, “el pastel.” If you ask the
question “to whom,” you will find the Indirect
object, “a Jaime.” You can also tell what the IO is
going to be because it will have the word “a/para in
front of the noun.
“LE AND LES”
The IO pronouns le and les present a
special problem because they are
ambiguous. That is, they can stand for
different things.
le
to (for) him
to (for) her
to (for) you-formal
les
to (for) them
to (for) you-all-formal
“Le and Les
The following sentences, while
grammatically correct, are ambiguous:
Ella le escribe una carta.
Ella les escribe una carta.
Out of context, there is no way we can
know the meaning.
Ella le escribe una carta.
She writes him a letter.
She writes her a letter.
She writes you (formal) a letter.
Ella les escribe una carta.
She writes them a letter.
She writes you-all (formal) a letter.
“Le and Les”
Since le and les can mean more than
one thing, a prepositional phrase is
often added to remove the ambiguity.
Ella le escribe a Juan una carta.
Ella le escribe a su hermana una carta.
Ella le escribe a usted una carta.
Ella les escribe a sus padres una carta.
Ella les escribe a ustedes una carta.
Sometimes a prepositional phrase is added not for clarity, but
rather for emphasis.
Juan me da a mí el dinero.
John gives me the money.
(emphasizing that the money is given to me and not to someone
else)
Juan te da a ti el dinero.
John gives you the money. (emphasis on you)
There is no ambiguity in the following sentence. It can only mean
one thing.
Juan me da el dinero.
John gives me the money.
The addition of a prepositional phrase merely adds emphasis.
Juan me da a mí el dinero.
John gives me the money.
Indirect object chart
SUBJECT PRONOUNS
INDIRECT OBJECT
PRONOUNS
(TO OR FOR)
YO
TU
EL
ELLA
USTED
NOSOTROS
NOSOTRAS
VOSOTROS
VOSOTRAS
ELLOS
ELLAS
USTEDES
I
YOU
HE
SHE
YOU
WE
ME
TE
NOS
ME
YOU
HIM
HER
YOU
US
YOU (PL.) FAMILIAR
OS
YOU (PL.) FAMILIAR
LE
THEY
THEM
LES
YOU (PL.) FAMILIAR
YOU (PL.)FAMILIAR
Quiz
1. Mario saca el disquete para Luigi.
-Change the sentence to fit the
conjugated verb with its pronoun.
-Replace Luigi with the indirect object
_____.
A. Nos
B. Le
C. Te
• The correct answer is B.
The sentence should read:
Mario le saca el disquete.
2. Julio prende la máquina para
Juan.
- Change the sentence to fit the
conjugated verb with its pronoun.
-Replace Juan with the indirect
object pronoun____
A. Les
B. Te
C. Le
• The correct answer is C.
The sentence should read:
Julio le prende la máquina.
3. Alejandro compra chocolates para
los estudiantes.
-Change the sentence to fit the
conjugated verb with its pronoun.
-Replace los estudiantes with
the indirect object pronoun____ :
A. Nos
B. Les
C. Leo
• The correct answer is B. Les
The sentence should read:
Alejandro les compra
chocolates.
4. Peter me da el ratón.
What is the indirect object pronoun
in this sentence? Who is it
replacing?
• The indirect object is: me
• “Me” is replacing me.
5. Tú cantas para nosotros.
-Change the sentence to fit the
conjugated verb with its pronoun.
-Replace nosotros with the
correct indirect object
pronoun___
A. Nos
B. Yo
C. Les
• The correct answer is A.
The sentence should read:
Tú nos cantas.
Let's sum up the important points of this
lesson:
The IO tells us where the DO is going.
The IO answers the question "to whom" or "for
whom."
Sentences that have an IO usually also have a
DO
Sometimes the DO is not stated, but rather is
implied, or understood.
The IO pronouns are: me, te, le, nos, os, les.
Place the pronoun before the conjugated verb.
Think in phrases, do not translate word-forword.
Le and les are ambiguous.
Prepositional phrases are often used for clarity
and for emphasis.