Double Object Pronouns in Spanish

Overview

Once you are comfortable using direct and indirect object pronouns individually, the next step is learning to combine them in a single sentence. In Spanish, it is very common to use both an indirect object pronoun and a direct object pronoun together -- for example, saying "He gave it to me" rather than "He gave the book to me."

At the A2 level, understanding double object pronouns is a significant milestone. This construction appears constantly in everyday Spanish, and mastering it will make your speech sound much more natural and efficient. The key challenges are learning the correct order of the pronouns and knowing when le/les changes to se.

How It Works

Pronoun Order

When two object pronouns appear together, the indirect object pronoun always comes first, followed by the direct object pronoun.

Formula: Indirect + Direct + Verb

Indirect	+ Direct	Example	Translation
me	lo	Me lo da.	He gives it to me.
te	la	Te la compré.	I bought it (fem.) for you.
nos	los	Nos los envió.	He sent them to us.
os	las	Os las traigo.	I bring them (fem.) to you all.

The Le/Les to Se Rule

When the indirect object pronoun le or les would appear before a direct object pronoun starting with l- (lo, la, los, las), it changes to se. This is purely for phonetic reasons -- le lo is awkward to pronounce.

Original	Becomes	Example	Translation
le + lo	se lo	Se lo dije.	I told it to him/her.
le + la	se la	Se la di.	I gave it (fem.) to him/her.
les + los	se los	Se los envié.	I sent them to them.
les + las	se las	Se las compré.	I bought them (fem.) for them.

Since se can be ambiguous (him? her? them? you formal?), you can add a él, a ella, a usted, a ellos, a ellas, a ustedes for clarity:

Se lo dije a ella. -- I told it to her.

Position of Double Pronouns

Double pronouns follow the same placement rules as single pronouns:

Context	Position	Example	Translation
Conjugated verb	Before the verb	Me lo da.	He gives it to me.
Infinitive	Attached to end	Va a dármelo.	He's going to give it to me.
Gerund	Attached to end	Está diciéndomelo.	He's telling it to me.
Affirmative command	Attached to end	¡Dámelo!	Give it to me!
Negative command	Before the verb	¡No me lo des!	Don't give it to me!

Note: When pronouns are attached, add an accent mark to maintain the original stress.

Examples in Context

Spanish	English	Note
Te lo doy.	I give it to you.	te (indirect) + lo (direct)
Me lo dijo.	He/She told me (it).	me (indirect) + lo (direct)
Se lo expliqué.	I explained it to him/her.	se replaces le before lo
¡Dámelo!	Give it to me!	Attached to command, accent added
Nos la enviaron ayer.	They sent it (fem.) to us yesterday.	nos + la before conjugated verb
¿Te los compro?	Should I buy them for you?	te + los in a question
Se las voy a mandar.	I'm going to send them (fem.) to him/her.	se + las before conjugated verb
Está explicándomelo.	He's explaining it to me.	Attached to gerund
No se lo digas.	Don't tell it to him/her.	Before verb in negative command
Quiero dártelo.	I want to give it to you.	Attached to infinitive

Common Mistakes

Putting direct before indirect

• Wrong: Lo me dio.
• Right: Me lo dio.
• Why: The indirect object pronoun always comes before the direct object pronoun. Think of it as "to whom" first, then "what."

Forgetting the le-to-se change

• Wrong: Le lo dije.
• Right: Se lo dije.
• Why: When le or les comes before lo, la, los, las, it must change to se. This is a mandatory phonetic rule, not optional.

Missing the accent mark on commands

• Wrong: Damelo.
• Right: Dámelo.
• Why: When pronouns are attached to a command, the stress shifts, and you need a written accent to show where the original stress falls.

Separating the pronoun pair

• Wrong: Me da lo.
• Right: Me lo da.
• Why: The two pronouns must stay together as a unit. They cannot be split apart with the verb between them.

Usage Notes

Double object pronouns are extremely frequent in spoken Spanish. Native speakers use them constantly and naturally, so getting comfortable with them is essential for understanding real conversations.

In Latin America, the pronoun os (informal plural "you all") is not used; instead, speakers use se with the meaning of a ustedes. This means se lo/la/los/las can be even more ambiguous in Latin American Spanish, making the clarifying phrases (a él, a ella, a ustedes) particularly useful.

When in doubt about clarity, it is perfectly natural to add the prepositional phrase: Se lo di a María (I gave it to María) removes all ambiguity.

Practice Tips

• Practice with common daily scenarios: ordering food (¿Me lo trae?), lending things (Te lo presto), and giving gifts (Se lo regalé).
• Drill the le-to-se change until it becomes automatic. A helpful trick: if you catch yourself about to say "le lo," stop and switch to "se lo."
• Listen to native speakers in podcasts or shows and try to catch double pronoun combinations -- they appear far more often than you might expect.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Direct Object Pronouns