Download Direct Object Pronouns - Reeths

Direct Object Pronouns
A. WHAT or WHO are Direct Objects?
1.
A direct object answers the question WHAT or WHO is receiving the action….
LOOK at the example below:
EX. Jorge is eating the apple. WHAT is Jorge eating????
THE APPLE is the direct object.
THE APPLE
2. Here’s an example where the direct object answers WHO:
EX. Jorge is calling Luz. WHO is Jorge calling???? LUZ
LUZ is the direct object.
B. So why do we need a direct object PRONOUN?
1. We don’t always want to have to repeat the name of the direct object, so we use a
direct object pronoun, since we already know WHAT or WHO we are talking about.
2. Here’s an example. Let’s say we are having a conversation about Jorge.
- Is Jorge eating the apple?
- Yes, he is eating it.
Or
- Is Jorge calling Luz?
- Yes, he’s calling her.
3. IT and HER are direct object PRONOUNS. Some others are THEM and HIM.
C. The DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS in Spanish are:
me- me
nos- us
te- you
la- her, it (sing. fem. Object) las- them (plural fem. Object)
lo- him, it (sing. Masc. object) los- them (plural masc. object)
1. Find the direct object noun and look at whether it is masculine or feminine and
whether it is singular or plural to decide which one to use.
Decide which pronoun to use.
_____ las manzanas
_____ me
_____ her
_____ el perro
_____ la tarea
_____ him
_____ los amigos
_____ el libro
_____ los chicos
D. Now, let’s look at all of this in Spanish:
1. Jorge come la manzana. “La manzana” is the direct object. The pronoun to
replace “la manzana” is la, because “la manzana” is feminine and singular.
2. BUT, in Spanish the direct object PRONOUN goes before the verb (or at the end of
an infinitive).
EX. Jorge la come. (Jorge is eating it.)
Ella come la manzana= Ella la come.
Él mira la película= Él la mira.
3. Here’s another example:
Jorge llama a Luz. (Jorge is calling Luz.)
Jorge la llama. (Jorge is calling her.)
E. Here is an example of the use of a direct object pronoun with an infinitive. Let’s say
Jorge hasn’t eaten the apple yet, but he is going to do it in the future.
1. - ¿Va a comer la manzana Jorge? (Is Jorge going to eat the apple?)
- Sí, Jorge la va a comer.
OR
Sí, Jorge va a comerla. (Yes, Jorge is going to eat it.)
2. Notice that there are two verbs in this sentence and one is an infinitive (the form
with R that means “to eat”). You can only put the direct object pronoun at the end of
an infinitive. Otherwise, is has to go before the conjugated verb.
Now try to translate the following:
1) Decide on the direct object
2) Decide which direct object pronoun to use
3) Place the direct object pronoun in front of the conjugated verb.
1. Yo como las manzanas. (I eat them).
2. Ella lee el libro (She reads it).
3. Tú miras las películas. (You watch them)
Answer the following questions using a direct object pronoun:
1. Do you eat tacos? Yes, I eat them.
¿Comes los tacos? Sí, ____________________________.
2. Does Jorge eat breakfast? No, he doesn’t eat it.
¿Come Jorge el desayuna? No, no ________________________.
3. Do they need money? Yes, they need it.
¿Necesitan el dinero? Sí, _______________________.
4. Does Olga have the piñata for the party? Yes, she has it.
¿Tiene Olga la piñata para la fiesta? Sí, ________________________.
5. I need eggs. Do y’all have them?
Necesito los huevos. ¿_________________________?
6. We need oranges for the juice. Does Meijer have them?
Necesitamos las naranjas para el jugo. ¿_________________________ Meijer?
7. Are you going to eat your fries? Yes, I’m going to eat them!
¿Vas a comer tus papas fritas? ¡Sí, ____________________________!
or (2 ways to say it)
¡Sí, ____________________________!
Indirect Object Pronouns
A. So, WHAT is an indirect object?
1. An indirect object answers the question TO WHOM? or FOR WHOM?
2. Here are some examples in English:
a. Jorge is giving the food to the dogs. TO WHOM? To the dogs. The dogs is the
Indirect Object.
b. Jorge is giving the dog to Teresa. TO WHOM? To Teresa. Teresa is the Indirect
Object.
c. I’m buying a pop for my friend. FOR WHOM? For my friend. My friend is the
Indirect Object.
3. Notice that in each of the previous sentences there is a direct object as well. Usually
if there is an indirect object in a sentence there will also be a direct object. You can’t
give something TO someone if there is no SOMETHING to give.
B.
Here’s the TRICKY PART about ENGLISH!!! In English we have 2 ways of expressing
indirect objects. Take a look:
1. a. Jorge is giving the dog to Teresa. (EASY)
b. Jorge is giving Teresa the dog.
(HARD)
Here’s the problem: To find the direct object, you have to ask yourself WHAT Jorge
is giving, Teresa or the dog. Obviously, if we think about it we know that he’s giving
away the dog, not Teresa. Teresa is WHOM he’s giving it TO.
HINT: If there are two nouns in the predicate or object part of the sentence, one is
probably an indirect object.
Here are some more TRICKY ones:
2. a. Jorge is giving a TV to his parents. OR
b. Jorge is giving his parents a TV. TO WHOM is he giving a TV? To his parents.
His parents is the Indirect Object.
3. a. I’m buying a pop for my friend. OR
b. I’m buying my friend a pop. HINT: Use your common sense. I’m not buying my
friend; I’m buying a pop….FOR MY FRIEND.
C. We can also use an Indirect Object PRONOUN in English:
1. a. Jorge is giving the dog to her. (Her stands for Teresa). OR
b. Jorge is giving her the dog.
2. a. I’m buying a pop for him. (Him stands for my friend.) OR
b. I’m buying him a pop.
C. Now let’s see what it looks like in Spanish! In Spanish, we use the indirect object pronouns
le or les, even if we are also using the noun.
1. - ¿Le da Jorge el perro a Teresa? (Is Jorge giving the dog to Teresa?)
- Sí, él le da el perro. (He’s giving the dog to her. OR He’s giving her the dog.)
2. -¿Le das tú un refresco a tu amigo? (Are you giving your friend a pop?)
-Sí, le doy un refresco. (Yes, I’m giving a pop to him. OR I’m giving him a pop.)
D. Let’s say I have two friends, Teresa and Jorge. Since le can mean to him or to her, I may
need to use a prepositional phrase to clarify which friend I’m giving the pop to.
Ex. Le doy el refresco a él. This means I’m giving the pop to him (Jorge).
NOTE: If I’m giving each of them a pop, I’d say, “Les doy un refresco a ellos.” Or just,
“Les doy un refresco.”
I can also be specific and say, “Les doy un refresco a Teresa y Jorge.”
E. Just like with Direct Object Pronouns, I can put INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS at the end
of an infinitive. REMEMBER: You will only have an infinitive if you are talking about the
future or things you want to do…in other words, if you have another verb in the sentence.
Ex. -¿Le vas a comprar un refresco a Teresa?(Are you going to buy a pop for Teresa?)
-Sí, le voy a comprar un refresco.
OR
-Sí, voy a comprarle un refresco. (Yes, I’m going to buy her a pop.)
F. Don’t forget to pay attention to the order of words. Both direct and indirect object
pronouns go right before the verb. That means, if you use the subject pronoun or a negative,
the pronoun has to go after that:
Ex.
-¿Les das tú un televisor a tus padres? (Are you giving your parents a TV?)
-¡No! Yo no les doy un televisor. (No! I’m not giving them a TV.)
Now, try to translate these:
1. Are you giving the sweater to your friend? ¿________________________________?
2. Yes, I’m giving the sweater to him. _________________________________.
3. To whom are you giving the CD’s? ¿____________________________________?
4. I’m giving the CD’s to my brother. ____________________________________.
5. Are you going to give the kids pop? ¿______________________________________?
6. No, I’m going to give them chocolate. ________________________________________.