2.4 Direct and indirect objects, reflexive verbs, and body parts

Question 1

What is a direct object?

Answer 1

A
A direct object (D.O.) is something or someone that certain verbs (transitive verbs) act upon:
* I read a book. Q: What did I read? DO: a book
* I drove a car. Q: What did I drive? DO: a car
* I will call Ana. Q: Who will I call? DO: Ana

Question 2

What is a tonic or disjunctive pronoun?

Answer 2

A
A tonic or disjunctive pronoun is a stressed form of a personal pronoun that is only used in certain contexts. In Spanish, they are:
* a mí
* a ti
* a él/ella/ud
* a nosotros
* a vosotros
* a ellos/ellas/uds

Question 3

Marcos helps me

Answer 3

A
Marcos me ayuda

me - me. Note that we can use the direct-object pronoun me to replace the disjunctive pronoun a mí. Direct object pronouns always appear before the conjugated verb

Question 4

Guillermo calls you every day

Answer 4

A
Guillermo te llama todos los días
you - te. Note that this direct-object pronoun replaces the disjunctive pronoun a ti (i.e. Guillermo te llama a ti)

Question 5

I don’t see him at the back of the restaurant

Answer 5

A
No lo veo al fondo del restaurante

him, it, you (Ud) - lo. Note that this direct-object pronoun replaces masculine nouns such as:
the phrases a él and a usted
a masculine noun (e.g. el libro)
someone’s name (e.g. a Marcos)

Question 6

I didn’t receive the letter. I didn’t receive it

Answer 6

A
No recibí la carta. No la recibí

her, it, you (formal, feminine) - la. Note that this direct-object pronoun replaces feminine nouns such as:
the phrases a ella and a usted
a feminine noun (e.g. la carta), or
a person (e.g. María)

Question 7

They helped us buy a house

Answer 7

A
Ellos nos ayudaron a comprar una casa

us - nos. Note that this direct-object pronoun replaces the disjunctive pronoun a nosotros(as). Also note that the direct-object pronoun is placed between the subject and the verb

Question 8

I sold the books. I sold them

Answer 8

A
Vendí los libros. Los vendí

them, you (plural) - los. Note that this direct-object pronoun replaces the disjunctive pronouns a ellos and a ustedes, or replaces a plural masculine noun (e.g. los libros), or replaces several names (e.g. Marcos y María)

Question 9

I helped them (fem)

Answer 9

A
Yo las ayudé

them (fem), you (plural, fem) - las. Note that this direct-object pronoun replaces the phrases a ellas and a ustedes, or replaces a plural feminine noun (e.g. las casas), or replaces several feminine names (e.g. María y Carla)

Question 10

We met them (fem) at the party

Answer 10

A
Nosotros las conocimos en la fiesta

party - la fiesta. Note that the direct-object pronoun (e.g. las) usually goes between the subject and the verb

Question 11

We are going to see him soon

Answer 11

A
Vamos a verlo pronto

Note that when a full verb phrase is used, the direct-object pronoun may be attached at the end of the infinitive. It is also acceptable to say Nosotros lo vamos a ver

Question 12

We saw him at the movie theater

Answer 12

A
Lo vimos en el cine

movie theater - el cine

Question 13

Pancho does not have very good sight, therefore he doesn’t see me

Answer 13

A
Pancho no tiene muy buena vista, por eso no me ve

sight - la vista. Note that when using a negation, the direct-object pronoun goes in between no and the verb (e.g. no me ve)

Question 14

Translate to Spanish.

Direct-Object Pronouns
* me
* you
* him/her
* us
* you
* them

Answer 14

A
Pronombres de Objeto Directo
* me (yo)
* te (tú)
* lo, la (él/ella/ud)
* nos (nosotros)
* os (vosotros)
* los, las (ellos/ellas/uds)

Question 15

What is an indirect object?

Answer 15

A
An indirect object (I.O.) is a noun or pronoun for which the verb’s actions are intended and answers the questions “to whom” and “for whom”:
* I make Jaime lunch. IO: for Jaime DO: lunch
* I sent Marta a letter. IO: to Marta DO: a letter

Question 16

Translate to Spanish.

Indirect-Object Pronouns
* to me
* to you
* to him/her
* to us
* to you
* to them

Answer 16

A
Pronombres de Objeto Indirecto
* me (yo)
* te (tú)
* le (él/ella/ud)
* nos (nosotros)
* os (vosotros)
* les (ellos/ellas/uds)
*

Question 17

• Translate to Spanish.
• He bought me these books.
• He bought me them.

Answer 17

• A
• Él me compró estos libros.
• Él me los compró.
• to me - me. Note that the indirect-object pronoun goes before the direct-object pronoun

Question 18

• Translate to Spanish.
• Rosa bought you these apples.
• She bought you them

Answer 18

A
* Rosa te compró estas manzanas.
* Te las compró
* to you - te

Question 19

Translate to Spanish.

We bought these chairs for Rafael.
We bought these chairs for him.
We bought them for him

Answer 19

A
Nosotros compramos estas sillas para Rafael.
Nosotros le compramos estas sillas.
Nosotros se las compramos
to him, to her, to you (ud) - le. Note that when the indirect object pronoun le is followed by the direct-object pronouns lo, la, los or las, you must change le to se

Question 20

Translate to Spanish.

I did not buy this desk for my son.
I did not buy him this desk.
I did not buy it for him

Answer 20

A
No compré este escritorio para mi hijo.
No le compré este escritorio.
No se lo compré

desk - el escritorio

Question 21

Translate to Spanish.

They did not send us the letters.
They never sent them to us

Answer 21

A
Ellos no nos enviaron las cartas.
Nunca nos las enviaron

to us – nos

Question 22

I didn’t buy these pens for Marcos and Pamela
I didn’t buy these pens for them
I didn’t buy them for them

Answer 22

A
No compré estas plumas para Marcos y Pamela
No les compré estas plumas
No se las compré
to them, to you (plural) – les

Question 23

They sent you (vosotros) a letter.
They sent it to you (vosotros)
A
Ellos os enviaron una carta.
Os la enviaron
to you (vosotros) - os

Answer 23

A
Ellos os enviaron una carta.
Os la enviaron
to you (vosotros) - os

Question 24

TO GIVE (Preterite)
* I gave
* You gave
* He/She gave
* We gave
* You gave
* They gave
A
DAR (Tiempo Pretérito)
* Yo di
* Tú diste
* Él/Ella/Ud dio
* Nosotros dimos
* Vosotros disteis
* Ellos/Ellas/Uds dieron
Remember that the conjugations for dar in the preterite tense are irregular

Question 25

I gave the book to Miguel

Answer 25

A
Le di el libro a Miguel

Note that we repeat the indirect object pronoun le despite the fact that we still say a Miguel. The indirect object pronoun is always used whether or not the actual object is stated

Question 26

I bought the book from Miguel

Answer 26

A

Le compré el libro a Miguel

Note that the word comprar, as well as a few similar words (e.g. robar, quitar), often uses the preposition a to denote the person from whom the item is being purchased, rather than using de. Confusingly, this sentence could also mean that you are buying the book “for” Miguel, depending on context.

Question 27

The sad part is that he never knew his grandfather

Answer 27

A
Lo triste es que nunca conoció a su abuelo

Note that the word lo is used as a neuter article to indicate “the ___ part.” Another common example is lo bueno (“the good part”)

Question 28

He doesn’t understand how handsome he is

Answer 28

A
Él no entiende lo guapo que es

how (to express degree) - lo. Note that the use of the neuter lo here has nothing to do with gender. You would also say Ella no entiende lo guapa que es.

Question 28

The part about eating made me hungry

Answer 28

A
Lo de comer me dio hambre

the part about - lo de. Note that the phrase lo de is used to denote “the part about”, or “all this business about”

Question 29

She tells me she is American, but I don’t believe her

Answer 29

A
Me dice que es americana, pero no le creo

to tell - decir. Note that the word decir means “to say” when there is no indirect object (such as me), but “to tell” when there is an indirect object

Question 30

TO SAY/TELL (Preterite)
* I said
* You said
* He/She said
* We said
* You said
* They said

Answer 30

A
DECIR (Tiempo Pretérito)
* Yo dije
* Tú dijiste
* Él/Ella/Ud dijo
* Nosotros dijimos
* Vosotros dijisteis
* Ellos/Ellas/Uds dijeron

Question 31

Did they tell you where the bathroom is?

Answer 31

A
¿Te dijeron dónde está el baño?

they said/told - dijeron. Note that decir is irregular in the preterite tense

Question 32

I don’t care if you come or not

Answer 32

A
(A mí) no me importa si vienes o no

I care - me importa. (Literally “It is important to me.”) Note that this verb works similarly to verbs like gustar, because the object of “care” in English becomes the subject of the Spanish importar

Question 33

Apparently, she doesn´t care

Answer 33

A
Por lo visto, (a ella) no le importa

apparently - por lo visto. Literally, por lo visto translates to “by that which is seen”

Question 34

What is a reflexive verb in Spanish?

Answer 34

A
Verbs that reflect back to the subject doing the action. Although these verbs can often be used in a non-reflexive context, they are most generally used to show that the noun is acting on itself and are very commonly used among Spanish-speakers

Question 35

What are the reflexive pronouns in Spanish?

Answer 35

A
Pronombres Reflexivos
* me (yo)= myself
* te (tú)= yourself
* se (él/ella/ud)= himself, herself, yourself
* nos (nosotros)= ourselves
* os (vosotros)= yourselves
* se (ellos/ellas/uds)= themselves, yourselves

Question 36

I shave my grandfather

Answer 36

A
Yo afeito a mi abuelo

to shave - afeitar

Question 37

I help my grandfather shave himself

Answer 37

A
Yo le ayudo a mi abuelo a afeitarse

to shave oneself - afeitarse. Note that since my grandfather is both the shaver and the recipient of the shaving, we use the reflexive pronoun se

Question 38

My aunt bathes her baby

Answer 38

A
Mi tía baña a su bébé
to bathe - bañar

Question 39

We bathe (ourselves) every day

Answer 39

A
Nosotros nos bañamos todos los días

to bathe oneself - bañarse. Note that this sentence construction is actually indistinguishable from “we bathe each other”. We can usually know which connotation is meant by context!

Question 40

I am going to approach the handsome man

Answer 40

A
Voy a acercarme al hombre guapo

to approach - acercarse a

Question 41

I could never get used to the cold

Answer 41

A
Nunca pude acostumbrarme al frío

to get used to - acostumbrarse a

Question 42

Her baby looks so much like her

Answer 42

A
Su bébé se parece tanto a ella

to look like - parecer(se) a

Question 43

I fell asleep at 8:00

Answer 43

A
Me dormí a las 8:00

to fall asleep - dormirse. Note that “to fall asleep” is dormirse, while “to sleep” is simply dormir

Question 44

Paulo and Luisa went to bed at eight forty-five

Answer 44

A
Paulo y Luisa se acostaron a las nueve menos cuarto
to lie down, to go to bed - acostarse

Question 45

No, my grandpa doesn’t have hair anymore

Answer 45

A
No, mi abuelo ya no tiene cabello

hair - el cabello, el pelo. Note that the use of cabello or pelo depends on the region

Question 46

Before eating, we have to buy food and cook it

Answer 46

A
Antes de comer, tenemos que comprar la comida y cocinarla

before - antes (de)

Question 47

What is the difference between the words sé and se?

Answer 47

A
* sé is the conjugation of saber in the first person singular (yo sé = “I know”)

• se is the reflexive pronoun for the third person singular (él, ella, ud) or plural (ellos/ellas/uds)

Question 48

What is the difference between the words té and te?

Answer 48

A
* té means “tea”
* te is the reflexive pronoun for the second person singular (tú)