(5) Indirect Object Pronouns

Question 1

Indirect object pronouns help to reduce repetition: they express to whom or for whom something is done:

Answer 1

El 6 de enero vienen los Reyes Magos para traer regales a los niños. Por ejemplo, les regalan juguetes o ropa, o a veces hasta una bicicleta. Mi hermanito tiene 5 años y todos los años le traen su juguete preferido. Este año mi hermanito les pidió un reloj especial de Pokemon. Pero a mí los reyes no me traen nada porque ya soy grande. Ese mismo día nuestros padres nos regalan algo especial. ¿Qué ted an a tí tus padres?

On January 6th, the Three Wise Men arrive to bring gifts for the children. For example, they give them toys or clothing, or sometimes even a bicycle. My little brother is 5 and they always bring him his favorite toy. This year my little brother asked them for a special Pokemon watch. But the Wise Men don’t bring me anything because I’m already big (grown up). On that same day our parents give us something special. What do your parents give (to) you?

Question 2

In Spanish, indirect objects are preceded by the preposition a, but instead of repeating a los niños (to the children) in the second sentence shown, the indirect object pronoun les [(to) them] is used.

Answer 2

…vienen los Reyes Magos para traer regales a los niños. Por ejemplo, les regalan juguetes o ropa… les = a los niños

…The Three Wise Men arrive to bring gifts for the children. For example, they give them toys or clothing… them = the children

Question 3

Indirect object pronouns are placed before the conjugated verb (Le dan regales) or attached to the end of infinitives (Quieren darle regales) and present participles (Están dándole regalos).

Answer 3

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Question 4

In English many indirect object pronouns can be expressed without “to” or “for,” so you can’t rely on the translation alone to identify when to use these pronouns. An easy rule of thumb is to ask yourself whether the pronoun in English could be rephrased to “to” or “for”.

Answer 4

For Example:

• They give them presents = They give presents to them [Yes, it’s an indirect object]
• They see them at school ≠ They see to/for them at school [No, it’s not an indirect object]

Question 5

To clarify or emphasize the meaning of indirect object pronouns, you can use a + noun (e.g. al profesor) or a + subject pronoun (e.g., a él).

Answer 5

There are two irregular forms:

• A mí (not “a yo”) [to me]
• A tí (not “a tú”) [to you (informal)]

Question 6

Who is doing the action? Examples

Answer 6

• Ana les escribe invitaciones de cumpleaños a sus amigas [Ana is writing an invitation to her friends]
• A Ana le preparan una sorpresa de cumpleaños Juana y Cristina [Juana and Cristina prepare a surprise birthday for Ana]
• Cristina le compra un regalo a Ana [Cristina buys a gift for Ana]
• A Juana y Cristina les da un beso Ana [Ana kisses Juana and Cristina]