Lo, la and le follow the function of the object; leísmo with a male person is accepted, laísmo and loísmo are not. Lo and la replace the direct object; le replaces the indirect object, of a man or a woman: A Luisa la vimos. A Luisa le dimos las gracias.
No information at the current level. This view starts at B2: choose B2 or a higher level.
No information at the current level. This view starts at B2: choose B2 or a higher level.
CheatsheetB2–C2
| Point | Rule | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norm | lo and la: direct object; le: indirect object | A Luisa la vimos y le dimos las gracias. | We saw Luisa and thanked her. | B2 |
| Leísmo with a person | le instead of lo with a man is accepted | A Luis le vimos ayer. | We saw Luis yesterday. | B2 |
| SpainSpain | leísmo with a male person is common | A mi tío le veo los domingos. | I see my uncle on Sundays. | B2 |
| Latin AmericaLatin America | lo is the usual form with a man | A mi tío lo veo los domingos. | I see my uncle on Sundays. | B2 |
| Verbs with le | telefonear and corresponder take only le | Le telefoneé a mi madre. | I phoned my mother. | B2 |
| Same verb | with a blow as direct object, the person takes le | Su padre le pegó una bofetada. | His father slapped him. | C1 |
| Le for les | les with a plural indirect object | No les tiene miedo a los fantasmas. | He's not afraid of ghosts. | C2 |
| Trap | laísmo and loísmo: the indirect object is le | A María le dije que viniera. | I told María to come. | C1 |
| Trap | lo or la for a thing, not le | El libro que me dejaste lo leí. | I read the book you lent me. | C1 |
Leísmo with a personB2–C1
| Pronoun | Use | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| lo | Masculine direct object, of a person or a thing. | A Luis lo vimos ayer.We saw Luis yesterday. | B2 |
| la | Feminine direct object, of a person or a thing. | A Luisa la vimos ayer.We saw Luisa yesterday. | B2 |
| le | Indirect object, of a man or a woman. | A Luisa le dimos las gracias.We thanked Luisa. | B2 |
| le | Direct object referring to a man: personal leísmo, accepted. | A Luis le vimos ayer.We saw Luis yesterday. | B2 |
| lo / la | Direct object referring to a thing: always lo, la, los or las. | El libro que me dejaste lo leí.I read the book you lent me. | C1 |
- Spain: In Spain, leísmo with a male person is common and accepted: A mi tío le veo los domingos.I see my uncle on Sundays.
- Latin America: In Latin America, lo is the usual form for a man as direct object: A mi tío lo veo los domingos.I see my uncle on Sundays.
- Latin America: Leísmo with se appears in the Caribbean, southern Colombia, the coast of Ecuador and Bolivia: A los niños se les educa en casa.Children are brought up at home.
Verbs that take leB2
| Verb | Pronoun | Leísmo | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| telefonear | le | Indirect object only. | Le telefoneé a mi madre.I phoned my mother. | B2 |
| corresponder | le | Indirect object only. | A la directora le corresponde decidir.It is up to the director to decide. | B2 |
| ayudar / entender | lo / le | Frequent. | A mi vecino lo ayudo. / A mi vecino le ayudo.I help my neighbour. | B2 |
| llamar / hacer / comprender / rodear / estorbar | lo / le | Less frequent. | A Pedro lo llamo cada noche. / A Pedro le llamo cada noche.I call Pedro every night. | B2 |
| saludar / seguir / compadecer | lo / le | Infrequent. | A Pedro lo saludo cada mañana.I greet Pedro every morning. | B2 |
- An intransitive verb puts the person in the indirect object: le or les, for a man or a woman. A mis padres les telefoneo los domingos.I phone my parents on Sundays.
Laísmo and loísmoC1
| Phenomenon | Standard form | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laísmo: la or las as an indirect object | le / les | A María le dije que viniera.I told María to come. | C1 |
| Loísmo: lo or los as an indirect object | le / les | A Pedro le dije que viniera.I told Pedro to come. | C1 |
- The pronoun follows the function, not the gender: the indirect object is always le or les. A mis primas les presté mis libros.I lent my cousins my books.
- Spain: Laísmo and loísmo occur in central and northern Spain.
- Educated usage considers them incorrect.
Le or lo with the same verbC1
| Construction | Pronoun | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| llamar someone, by phone | lo / la | A Luisa la llamé por teléfono.I phoned Luisa. | C1 |
| llamar la atención to someone | le | A Luisa le llamé la atención.I told Luisa off. | C1 |
| pegar a blow to someone | le | Su padre le pegó una bofetada.His father slapped him. | C1 |
| hacer with an intransitive infinitive | lo / la | A Pedro lo hice callar.I made Pedro be quiet. | C1 |
| hacer with a transitive infinitive | le | A Pedro le hice firmar el contrato.I made Pedro sign the contract. | C1 |
- A verb with two constructions changes pronoun depending on whether it has a direct object that is a thing.
Le for lesC2
| Pattern | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| les + verb + a + plural noun | Les di las gracias a los vecinos. | I thanked the neighbours. | C2 |
| tener miedo of several people or things | No les tiene miedo a los fantasmas. | He's not afraid of ghosts. | C2 |
- In popular speech, le stays fixed before a plural indirect object; educated usage agrees in number.
Typical errorsB2–C2
| Wrong | Right | Rule | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Luisa le vimos ayer. | A Luisa la vimos ayer. | a feminine direct object takes la | B2 |
| Lo telefoneé a mi padre. | Le telefoneé a mi padre. | telefonear takes only an indirect object: le | B2 |
| El libro que me dejaste le leí. | El libro que me dejaste lo leí. | a thing as direct object takes lo, la, los or las | C1 |
| A María la dije que viniera. | A María le dije que viniera. | the indirect object is le, even for a woman | C1 |
| A Pedro lo dije que viniera. | A Pedro le dije que viniera. | the indirect object is le, even for a man | C1 |
| Su padre la pegó una bofetada. | Su padre le pegó una bofetada. | with a blow as direct object, the person takes le | C1 |
| No le tiene miedo a los fantasmas. | No les tiene miedo a los fantasmas. | before a plural indirect object, les agrees in number | C2 |