Download Direct Object Pronouns

DOP’s
(Direct Object Pronouns)
Direct Object Pronouns
 Direct objects are nouns which receive the action of a
verb in a sentence. Direct object pronouns replace
that noun (and also noun phrases and nominalized
clauses). Just like personal (subject) pronouns replace
the subject noun in a sentence, direct object pronouns
replace the direct object noun in a sentence which can
be a person or a thing.
Below you can find the chart which separates the Direct object
pronouns into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person as well as singular or
plural.
Singular
Plural
Me (me)
Nos (us)
Te (you INFORMAL)
Os (y’all INFORMAL)
***Lo, la (IT, you FORMAL,
him, her)
***Los, Las (THEM, all of
you FORMAL)
* Notice that the 1st and 2nd person pronouns are the same as the indirect
object pronouns and that the 3rd person pronouns. GENERALLY, we will
use DOP’s with THINGS (hence, the red bolded IT and THEM)
The direct object of a sentence can be an object:
Sandra tiró la pelota. - Sandra threw the ball.
“La pelota” receives the action of “tiró.” “La pelota” is the
direct object of the sentence. It is singular and feminine,
and since it represents an inanimate object, it is in the 3rd
person, therefore, you can replace it with the direct object
pronoun “la.”
Sandra la tiró. - Sandra threw it.
Los niños leen muchos libros. - The boys read lots of books.
“Muchos libros” receives the action of “leen.” It is plural,
masculine, and 3rd person, so it can be replaced with the
direct object pronoun “los.”
Los niños los leen.
The direct object of a sentence can also be a person:
They called us - Nos llamaron.
I love you. - Te quiero.
Learn to translate groups of words, rather than individual words.
The first step is to learn to view two Spanish words as a single
phrase. Try to think of each line as a single phrase, not two
separate words:
la como
lo como
la tengo
lo tengo
la leo
lo leo
la compro
lo compro
la veo
lo veo
Read each line again. Before you do, glance at the translation
beneath it. Then, read each line thinking of it as a phrase that has
the same meaning as the English phrase below it.
la como
I eat it (feminine DO - la sopa, la
comida, etc.)
lo como
I eat it (masculine DO - el pollo, el
arroz, etc.)
la leo
lo leo
la veo
lo veo
la tengo
lo tengo
la compro
lo compro
I read it
I read it
I see it
I see it
I have it
I have it
I buy it
I buy it
In the previous examples, it is clear that the subject of the sentence is
"I" because the verbs are all conjugated in the "yo" form. With other
verb forms, it is often desirable to add a word to clarify the subject.
 Juan la come.
(la comida) Juan eats it.
 María lo tiene.
(el libro)
María has it.
 El chico la compra.
(la pluma)
The boy buys it.
 La chica lo ve.
(el edificio) The girl sees it.
 Ustedes lo leen.
(el periódico)You-all read it.
Now, some examples of plural direct objects.
 Juan come dos sándwiches.
 La chica ve dos coches.
 Los come. or Juan los come.
 Los ve. or La chica los ve.
 María tiene tres libros.
 Ella compra dos televisores.
 Los tiene. or María los
 Los compra. or Ella los
tiene.
compra.
 El chico compra dos revistas.
 Tenemos dos mesas.
 Las compra. or El chico las
 Las tenemos. or Nosotros
compra.
las tenemos
Now, some examples where the direct object is a person.
 I know you.
 Juan sees her.
Te conozco.
Juan la ve.
 She loves him.
 They call us.
Ella lo ama.
 She loves me.
Ella me ama.
Ellos nos llaman.
 We call them.
Los llamamos.
PRACTICE
 Please write 7 sentences showing that you can use
pronouns using the following as your model:
1) Sandra tiró la pelota. - Sandra threw the ball
Sandra la tiró. - Sandra threw it.