Double Object Pronouns: Indirect + Direct Together
When two object pronouns meet, the indirect one comes first (me lo das), and le or les becomes se before lo, la, los, las (se lo doy).
The rule at a glance
seindirect (le → se)+lodirect+doyverb=se lo doyI give it to her
Attached to affirmative commands; with infinitives and gerunds, attached or before the conjugated verb (with verbs like ir a, querer, estar)
Indirect + direct
me lo
it to me
Me lo das
You give it to me
le/les → se
se lo
it to him/her/them
Se lo doy
I give it to him/her
Attached
dártelo
to give it to you
Voy a dártelo
I'm going to give it to you
Negative command
no me lo des
don't give it to me
No me lo des
Don't give it to me!
- Never "le lo": le or les becomes se before lo, la, los, las: Le doy el libro → Se lo doy.
Video lesson
Forms
Order: indirect + direct
In Spanish you can use an indirect object pronoun (who receives) and a direct object pronoun (what is received) in the same sentence. The indirect pronoun always comes first, followed by the direct one: (me, te, se, nos, os) + (lo, la, los, las) + verb. In a pair, the direct pronoun is always lo, la, los or las.
| Person | First: indirect (to whom) | Second: direct (what) |
|---|---|---|
| I / me | me (to me) | - |
| you | te (to you) | - |
| he, she, you formal | le → se (to him/her/you) | lo, la (it, him, her) |
| we / us | nos (to us) | - |
| you all | os (to you all) | - |
| they, you (ustedes) | les → se (to them/you all) | los, las (them, you) |
Me, te, nos and os never change, because they are never le or les:
Me lo das – You give it to me
Te la mando – I send it to you
Nos los traen – They bring them to us
The big rule: le/les → se
You cannot say "le lo", "le la", "les los" or "les las". When le or les comes before lo, la, los or las, it changes to se. Se can then mean to him, to her, to you (usted or ustedes) or to them; add a él, a ella, a ellos if it isn't clear.
Le doy el libro → Se lo doy – I give the book to him/her → I give it to him/her
Se la compro – I buy it for him/her/them
Se los muestro – I show them to him/her/them
Where they go
The pair moves together, following the same rules as single pronouns (more on pronoun placement):
| With | Where the pronouns go | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Conjugated verb | before the verb | Te lo doy |
| Infinitive | attached, or before the conjugated verb (with ir a, querer, poder...) | Voy a dártelo · Te lo voy a dar |
| Gerund | attached, or before estar | Estoy dándotelo · Te lo estoy dando |
| Affirmative command | attached | Dámelo |
| Negative command | before the verb | No me lo des |
When to use it
Use two pronouns when both the thing and the person receiving it are already known, typically with verbs of giving and telling like dar, decir, mandar and prestar.
1. With conjugated verbs: before the verb
María me lo explica – María explains it to me
Yo te la presto – I lend it to you
le → se: Ellos se los venden – They sell them to him/her
Nos las traen – They bring them to us
2. With infinitives and gerunds: attached or before
With estar and verbs like ir a, querer, poder, both positions are correct. When you attach them, add an accent to keep the stress: dártelo, dándotelo.
Attached: Voy a dártelo – I'm going to give it to you
Before verb: Te lo voy a dar – I'm going to give it to you
Attached: Estoy dándotelo – I'm giving it to you
Before verb: Te lo estoy dando – I'm giving it to you
3. With commands: attached if affirmative, before if negative
Affirmative commands take the pronouns on the end, with an accent (dámelo); negative commands put them before the verb.
Affirmative: Dámelo – Give it to me!
Affirmative: Mándaselas – Send them to him/her!
Negative: No me lo des – Don't give it to me!
Negative: No se las mandes – Don't send them to him/her!
Common mistakes
le/les becomes se
Not this (incorrect): Le lo doy
But this (correct): Se lo doy – I give it to him/her. le/les always changes to 'se' before lo/la/los/las.
Indirect before direct
Not this (incorrect): Lo me das
But this (correct): Me lo das – You give it to me. The indirect pronoun always comes before the direct pronoun.
Add the accent
Not this (incorrect): Voy a dartelo
But this (correct): Voy a dártelo – I'm going to give it to you. Add an accent when attaching pronouns, to keep the stress.
Negative commands
Not this (incorrect): No dámelo
But this (correct): No me lo des – Don't give it to me! Negative commands: the pronouns go before the verb.
Memory tricks
"I.D." order
Indirect before Direct, like showing your I.D.
"Se" saves the day
When le/les meets lo/la/los/las, se steps in to avoid the "l-l" clash.
Affirmative = attached
Positive commands? Pronouns stick to the end. Negative? They stay separate, before the verb.
Quick check
8 questions1. I give it to him → Yo _____ doy
When combining indirect (le) and direct (lo) pronouns, le/les changes to 'se'. The correct order is se + lo.
2. She sends them to me → Ella _____ manda
With first/second person indirect pronouns (me, te, nos, os), they stay unchanged. Order: me + los.
3. We want to tell it to you → Queremos _____
With infinitives, pronouns attach to the end in the order: te + lo = decírtelo. An accent is needed to maintain stress.
4. I'm showing it to them → Estoy _____
With gerunds, pronouns attach to the end: se + lo = mostrándoselo. An accent is needed to maintain stress.
5. They give it to her → Ellos _____ dan
le (to her) + la (it, feminine) → se la. The indirect pronoun le changes to se before any direct object pronoun.
6. You (tú) can explain it to us → Tú _____ explicar
With modal + infinitive, pronouns can go before the conjugated verb: nos + lo + puedes. Order: IND + DIR + VERB.
7. I'm going to buy them for you → Voy a _____
With ir a + infinitive, pronouns can attach to the infinitive: te + los = comprártelos. Accent needed for stress.
8. Don't tell it to me! → ¡No _____ digas!
With negative commands, pronouns go before the verb in the order: me (IND) + lo (DIR) + digas.
Ready to practise? Test yourself with this 8-question quiz on double object pronouns!
Going further
Double pronouns in two natural conversations
Natural conversations
At the shop
Customer: ¿Tiene el libro? Do you have the book?
Clerk: Sí, se lo traigo enseguida. Yes, I'll bring it to you right away.
Customer: Gracias. ¿Me lo puede envolver? Thanks. Can you wrap it for me?
Between friends
Ana: ¿Las llaves? Te las doy mañana. The keys? I'll give them to you tomorrow.
Carlos: Vale. Y el coche, ¿me lo prestas? OK. And the car, will you lend it to me?
Ana: Claro, te lo presto el sábado. Sure, I'll lend it to you on Saturday.
Affirmative commands with double pronouns are covered with the rest of the imperative.