The direct object receives the action of the verb. It answers the question “whom” or “what” after the verb. The direct object can be a noun or pronoun.
-We ate tacos. What did we eat? Tacos. Tacos is the direct object.
-They invited John. Whom did they invite? John. John is the direct object.
In English, nouns are replaced with direct object pronouns to avoid sounding repetitious. In English, me, you, him, her, us, them, and it are examples of direct object pronouns.
-Do you see John? -Do you see him?
-Did you call Mary and Ana? -Did you call them?
In Spanish, nouns are also replaced with direct object pronouns. The following chart contains the direct object pronouns in Spanish:
Singular Plural
me me nos us
te you (familiar) os you (familiar)
lo him, it, you (formal) los them, you all la her, it, you (formal) las them, you all
Direct object pronouns have the same gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) as the nouns they replace. They come right before the conjugated verb.
Do you have the book? Do you have it? ¿Tienes el libro? ¿Lo tienes?
Do you help your mom at home? Do you help her? ¿Ayudas a tu mamá en casa? ¿La ayudas?
When an infinitive follows a verb, the direct object pronoun can be placed before the conjugated verb or attached to the infinitive.
Do you want to read the book? Do you want to read it? ¿Quieres leer el libro? ¿Lo quieres leer? OR ¿Quieres leerlo?
Para Practicar
In each of the sentences below, the direct object has been underlined for you. Your job is to replace the direct object with the correct direct object pronoun and rewrite the sentence. Remember, the direct object pronoun goes before the conjugated verb!
1. El barbero corta el pelo.
2. Yo tengo los sobres.
3. Las chicas riegan la planta.
4. Nosotros vemos las gasolineras.
5. Los monos están buscando a mi amigo.
Translate the sentences below to Spanish. The direct objects have been underlined for you and must be placed before the verb in your translations.
1. I sent the letter.
2. My teacher helped me.
3. The hairdresser looked for us.
4. She washed the car.
5. My friends cashed the checks.
6. The monkeys repeat you.
7. We bought the cards.