Comparative Grammar 2.5. Object Personal Pronouns in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French

In this comparative grammar lesson of Romance languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, & French, we study object personal pronouns.

Table of Contents

• Prepositional Object Pronouns in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, & French
  • Reflexive Prepositional Object Pronouns in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, & French
• Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, & French
  • Examples
• Attaching Object Pronouns to Verb Ends
• Combining Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns
• Notes
• Level II – Beginner

Object pronouns can be divided into three classes: prepositional, direct, and indirect object pronouns.

Prepositional Object Pronouns in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, & French

Prepositional object pronouns come after a preposition, such as “about,” “from,”  “in,” “on,” “of,” “with,” “without,” etc. Prepositional object pronouns are the same as subject pronouns in most cases except in the underlined cases in the following table.

	Subj. Pron.	Prep. Obj. Pronoun	Examples
SP	yo	mí	Ellos hablan de mí.	They talk about me.
PT	eu	mim	Eles falam de mim.
IT	io	me	Parlano di me.
FR	je	moi	Ils parlent de moi.
SP	tú	ti	Este regalo es para ti.	This gift is for you.
PT	você	você	Este presente é para você.
IT	tu	te	Questo regalo è per te.
FR	tu	toi	Ce cadeau est pour toi.
SP	él	él	Salgo con él.	I go out with him.
PT	ele	ele	Eu saio com ele.
IT	lui	lui	Esco con lui.
FR	il	lui	Je sors avec lui.
SP	ella	ella	Salgo con ella.	I go out with her.
PT	ela	ela	Eu saio com ela.
IT	lei	lei	Esco con lei.
FR	elle	elle	Je sors avec elle.
SP	nosotros	nosotros	No está contra nosotros.	He is not against us.
PT	nós	nós	Ele não está contra nós.
IT	noi	noi	Non è contro di noi.
FR	nous	nous	Il n’est pas contre nous.
SP	ustedes	ustedes	Confío en ustedes.	I trust in you.
PT	vocês	vocês	Eu confio em vocês.
IT	voi	voi	Mi fido di voi.
FR	vous	vous	Ce cadeau est pour vous.
SP	ellos/-as	ellos/-as	No voy sin ellos.	I won’t go without them.
PT	eles/elas	eles/elas	Eu não vou sem eles.
IT	loro	loro	Non vado senza di loro.
FR	ils/elles	eux	Je ne pars pas sans eux.

Reflexive Prepositional Object Pronouns in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, & French

The reflexive prepositional pronouns are a special case of the prepositional object pronouns, such as “myself,” “yourself,” “himself,” etc. This is used when the subject and the object pronoun refer to the same person.

	Subj. Pron.	Ref. Prep. Obj. Pron.	Examples
SP	yo	mí	Yo no hablo de mí.	I don’t talk about myself.
PT	eu	mim	Eu não falo de mim.
IT	io	me	Non parlo di me.
FR	je	moi	Je ne parle pas de moi.
SP	tú	ti	Compraste un regalo para ti.	You bought a gift for yourself.
PT	você	você	Comprou um presente para você.
IT	tu	te	Hai comprato un regalo per te.
FR	tu	toi	Tu as acheté un cadeau pour toi-même.
SP	él	sí	Él se alaba a sí mismo.	He praises himself.
PT	ele	si	Ele elogia a si mesmo.
IT	lui	se	Lui loda se stesso.
FR	il	lui	Elle se loue lui-même
SP	ella	sí	Ella se alaba a sí misma.	She praises herself.
PT	ela	si	Ela elogia a si mesma.
IT	lei	se	Lei loda se stessa.
FR	elle	elle	Elle se loue elle-même.
SP	nosotros	nosotros	Lo hacemos para nosotros.	We do it for ourselves.
PT	nós	nós	Nós fazemos isso por nós.
IT	noi	noi	Lo facciamo per noi.
FR	nous	nous	Nous le faisons pour nous-mêmes.
SP	ustedes	ustedes	Piensan solo en ustedes.	You only think of yourselves.
PT	vocês	vocês	Vocês só pensa em vocês mesmos.
IT	voi	voi	Pensate solo a voi.
FR	vous	vous	Vous ne pensez qu’à vous.
SP	ellos/-as	sí	Ellos hablan de sí mismos.	They talk about themselves.
PT	eles/elas	si	Eles querem tudo para si.
IT	loro	se	Parlano di se stessi.
FR	ils/elles	eux	Ils parlent d’eux-mêmes

More often than not, the reflexive prepositional object pronoun is followed by the following adjective meaning “same” for emphasis:

	Masculine Singular	Feminine Singular	Masculine Plural	Feminine Plural
SP	mismo	misma	mismos	mismas
PT	mesmo	mesma	mesmos	mesmas
IT	stesso	stessa	stessi	stesse
FR	même		mêmes

Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, & French

The second and third classes of object pronouns are direct and indirect object pronouns. This tends to be one of the most challenging grammar lessons for English-speaking students. Nevertheless, the use of direct and indirect objects is so ubiquitous that we feel obliged to cover it at this beginner level. Feel free to return to this lesson at times of confusion if you do not fully grasp all the details.

Before we delve into the details, let us first define the difference between the two classes, since the distinction in English is not always clear. The direct object is the noun directly acted upon, whereas the indirect object is usually the noun (or person) receiving the direct object. For example, in the expressions “He gives it to us” and “I give it to you,” the “it” is the direct object acted upon in both examples, whereas “us” is the indirect object in the first example and “you” in the second. In English, we use “me,” “you,” “him,” “her,” “us,” and “them,” regardless of whether we are referring to a direct or indirect object. In Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French, there are some differences:

• The direct and indirect object pronouns generally come before the verb, e.g., in Spanish: “Nos lo da” (He gives it to us). Attachment to the end of the verb will be discussed as an exception.
• The indirect object always comes before the direct object when they are both in the same sentence. One exception is in French when the indirect object is in the third person, in which case the indirect object comes after the direct object.
• Unlike in English, we do not add the equivalent of “to” before the indirect object, e.g., “I give it to you” becomes “Te lo doy” in Spanish, where “te” means “to you” in this context.

Now, let us learn the direct and indirect object pronouns and their equivalents in English.

	Direct Object Pronoun	Indirect Object Pronoun	English Equivalent
SP	me	me	me
PT	me	me
IT	mi	mi
FR	me (m’)	me (m’)
SP	te	te	you (informal singular)
PT	o/a	lhe
IT	ti	ti
FR	te (t’)	te (t’)
SP	lo/la	le	him/her/it/you (formal singular)
PT	o/a	lhe
IT	lo/la	gli/le
FR	le (l’)/ la (l’)	lui
SP	nos	nos	us
PT	nos	nos
IT	ci	ci
FR	nous	nous
SP	los/las	les	you (informal plural)
PT	os/as	lhes
IT	vi	vi
FR	vous	vous
SP	los/las	les	them/you (formal plural)
PT	os/as	lhes
IT	li/le	gli/gli
FR	les	leur

Note that, in Italian, the direct and indirect objects for the formal “you,” in singular and plural forms, should be capitalized.

Examples

Let us take some examples:

He knows me.	SP	Él me conoce.	“me” is a direct object
	PT	Ele me conhece.	“me” is a direct object
	IT	Lui mi conosce.	“mi” is a direct object
	FR	Il me connaît.	“me” is a direct object
He knows us.	SP	Él nos conoce.	“nos” is a direct obj.
	PT	Ele nos conhece.	“nos” is a direct obj.
	IT	Lui ci conosce.	“ci” is a direct object
	FR	Il nous connaît.	“nous” is a direct obj.
That book! I want it.   That pen! I want it.	SP	¡Este libro! Lo quiero. ¡Esa pluma! La quiero.	Depending on gender, “lo” or “la” is used
	PT	Aquele livro! Eu o quero. Essa caneta! Eu a quero.	Depending on gender, “o” or “a” is used
	IT	Quel libro! Lo voglio. Quella penna! La voglio.	Depending on gender, “lo” or “la” is used
	FR	Ce livre! Je le veux. Ce stylo! Je le veux.	Depending on gender, “le” or “la” is used
I know him.   I will give him something.	SP	Lo conozco. Le daré algo.	“lo” is a direct object “le” is an indirect obj.
	PT	Eu o conheço. Vou dar-lhe algo.	“o” is a direct object “lhe” is an indirect obj.
	IT	Lo conosco. Gli darò qualcosa.	“lo” is a direct object “gli” is an indirect obj.
	FR	Je le connais. Je lui donnerai quelque chose.	“le” is a direct object “lui” is an indirect obj.
I know her.   I will give her something.	SP	La conozco. Le daré algo.	“la” is a direct object “le” is an indirect obj.
	PT	Eu a conheço. Vou dar-lhe algo.	“a” is a direct object “lhe” is an indirect obj.
	IT	La conosco. Le darò qualcosa.	“la” is a direct object “le” is an indirect obj.
	FR	Je la connais. Je lui donnerai quelque chose.	“la” is a direct object “lui” is an indirect obj.
Those guys! I know them.   I will give them something.	SP	¡Esos tipos! Los conozco Les daré algo.	“los” is a direct object “les” is an indirect obj.
	PT	Aqueles rapazes! Eu os conheço. Eu lhes darei algo.	“os” is a direct object “lhes” is an indirect obj.
	IT	Quei ragazzi! Li conosco. Gli darò qualcosa.	“li” is a direct object “gli” is an indirect obj.
	FR	Ces gars! Je les connais. Je leur donnerai quelque chose.	“les” is a direct object “leur” is an indirect obj.
Those girls! I know them.   I will give them something.	SP	¡Esas chicas! Las conozco. Les daré algo.	“las” is a direct object “les” is an indirect obj.
	PT	Essas garotas! Eu as conheço. Eu lhes darei algo.	“as” is a direct object “lhes” is an indirect obj.
	IT	Quelle ragazze! Le conosco. Gli darò qualcosa.	“le” is a direct object “gli” is an indirect obj.
	FR	Ces gars! Je les connais. Je leur donnerai quelque chose.	“les” is a direct object “leur” is an indirect obj.

In daily spoken Portuguese, we use the following informal sets of the direct and indirect object pronouns:

Direct Object Pronoun	Indirect Object Pronoun	English Equivalent
me	me para mim	me
você/te	para você/ti	you (singular)
ele/ela	para ele/ela	him/her
nos	nos para nós	us
eles/elas	para eles/elas	them/you (plural)

The first-person singular and plural indirect object pronouns have unstressed forms, i.e., “me” and “nos,” and stressed forms, i.e., “para mim” and “para nós.” For example, the sentence “He sent me a letter” can be translated using one of two forms:

Ele me enviou uma carta.	formal or unstressed informal
Ele enviou uma carta para mim.	stressed informal

There are two ways to express the second-person informal singular direct object pronoun “you” in spoken Portuguese: using “você” after the verb, or more colloquially using “te” before the verb. Remember that the formal written direct object pronoun meaning “you” is “o” or “a,” depending on the gender of the addressee. Thus, the following three sentences can have the same meaning:

Eu o/a amo (a você).	I love you.
Eu amo você.
Eu te amo.

The formal second-person “you” can also be expressed using the indirect object pronouns “para o senhor” and “para a senhora” for masculine and feminine, respectively. For example:

Vou vender a casa para o senhor.	I will sell you the house, sir.
Vou vender a casa para a senhora.	I will sell you the house, madam.

Attaching Object Pronouns to Verb Ends

Now, let us look at the three cases in which the direct or indirect object pronoun attaches to the end of the verb. Object pronouns attach to the infinitive, gerund, or affirmative imperative. Keep in mind that attachment is optional in some of the cases above. Notice that, in French, only in the case of the affirmative imperative, the object pronoun is attached to the end of the verb.

SP	Quiero hacerlo. (or) Lo quiero hacer.	I want to do it.	obj. pron. + infinitive
PT	Eu quero fazê-lo. (or) Eu o quero fazer.
IT	Voglio farlo.
FR	Je veux le faire.
SP	Lo estoy viendo. (or) Estoy viendolo.	I am watching it.	direct obj. pron. + gerund
PT	Eu o estou vendo. (or) Eu estou vendo-o.
IT	Sto guardandolo.
FR	Je le regarde.
SP	Ábrelo.	Open it.	dir. obj. pron. + imperative
PT	Abra-o.
IT	Aprilo.
FR	Ouvrez-le.
SP	Pídele dinero.	Ask him for money.	ind. obj. pron. + imperative
PT	Peça-lhe dinheiro.
IT	Chiedigli dei soldi.
FR	Demandez-lui de l’argent.

Notice that in Portuguese, the object pronouns “me,” “te,” “o(s),” “a(s),” “se,” “nos,” and “lhe(s)” can be placed before the verb or attached, with a hyphen, to the end the verb. Let us consider these cases:

• In formal writing, one must not start a sentence or phrase with an object pronoun. If the explicit subject is removed, the object pronoun is attached to the end the verb.

Eu o vejo. Vejo-o.	I see him.
Eu lhe mando cartas. Mando-lhe cartas.	I send him letters.

In informal spoken language, there is no such restriction. Avoiding object pronoun attachment to the verb-end can sound more natural in an informal dialogue.

• If the subject is a noun, rather than a subject pronoun, attachment to the verb-end is optional and tends to be more formal. For example:

O homem o visitou. O homem visitou-o.	The man visited him.
Os fãs lhe mandam cartas. Os fãs mandam-lhe cartas.	The fans send him letters.

• Object pronouns often attach to the infinitive in formal writing, but are placed before the infinitive in informal speech.

Ele quer me ver. Ele quer ver-me.	He wants to see me.
Ela quer nos ligar. Ela quer ligar-nos.	She wants to call us.

If the object pronoun is “o(s)” or “a(s),” the pronoun is changed to “lo(s)” or “la(s),” respectively, and the final “r” of the infinitive is dropped. For example:

Eu o quero ver. Quero vê-lo.	I want to see him.
Eu os quero enviar. Quero enviá-los.	I want to send them.

• If the verb is in the first-person plural ending in “-mos” and the object pronouns is “o(s)” or “a(s),” the pronoun is changed to “lo(s)” or “la(s),” respectively, and the final “s” of the verb ending is dropped. For example:

Nós a visitamos. Visitamo-la.	We visit her.
Nós os vemos. Vemo-los.	We see them.

• If the verb ends in a nasal sound “-am,” “-em,” “-ão,” or “-õe,” and the object pronouns is “o(s)” or “a(s),” the pronoun is changed to “no(s)” or “na(s),” respectively. For example:

Eles o visitam. Visitam-no.	They visit him.
Ela os põe em risco. Ela põe-nos em risco.	She puts them at risk.

Combining Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns

We will examine how to combine direct and indirect objects in the same sentence in Spanish, Italian, and French through the following two examples:

• Let us take the example: “She sells me the house.” This translates to:

SP	Ella me vende la casa.
IT	Lei mi vende la casa.
FR	Elle me vend la maison.

In the above example, we recognize that “the house” is the direct object being acted upon, i.e., being sold, whereas “me” is the indirect object that receives the direct object, i.e., the house is being sold to me.

Let us first focus on the direct object in “She sells the house.” If we remove the direct object, “the house,” to say “She sells it,” we must use the proper direct object pronoun meaning “it.” Since “the house”  is feminine is Spanish, Italian, and French, we must use “la”:

SP	Ella la vende.
IT	Lei la vende.
FR	Elle la vend.

Next, we add the indirect object meaning “to me” before the direct object “la” to say “She sells it to me”:

SP	Ella me la vende.
IT	Lei me la vende.
FR	Elle me la vend.

Notice that in Italian, when the indirect object “mi” is followed by the direct object “la,” the indirect object is changed to “me.”

As a general rule, in Italian, when the indirect object “mi,” “ti,” “ci,” or “vi” is followed by the direct object “lo,” “la,” “li,” or “le,” the indirect object is changed to “me,” “te,” “ce,” or “ve,” respectively.

mi/ti/ci/vi   +	lo	=	me/te/ce/ve   lo
	la	=	me/te/ce/ve   la
	li	=	me/te/ce/ve   li
	le	=	me/te/ce/ve   le

• Let us take another example: “I send him a gift.” This translates to:

SP	Yo le mando un regalo.
IT	Io gli mando un regalo.
FR	Je lui envoie un cadeau.

Here, “a gift” is the direct object, whereas “him” is the indirect object.

Let us first focus on the direct object “I send a gift ….” If we remove the direct object “a gift” to say “I send it …,” we must use the proper direct object pronoun meaning “it.” Since “a gift” is masculine in Spanish, Italian, and French, we must use “lo” in Spanish and Italian, and “le” in French:

SP	Yo lo mando.
IT	Io lo mando.
FR	Je l’envoie

Next, we add the indirect object meaning “to him” to say “I send it to him”:

SP	Yo se lo mando.
IT	Io glielo mando.
FR	Je le lui envoie

Notes

Note the following:

• In Spanish, to avoid alliteration when saying “le lo” in this case, one must replace the indirect object with “se.” Thus, we instead say: “Yo se lo mando.”

As a general rule to avoid alliteration:

(le/les)     +      (lo/la/los/las)        =        se (lo/la/los/las)

I send them to her.	Yo se los mando.	le + los = se los
I send it to them.	Yo se lo mando.	les + lo = se lo

• In Italian, when the indirect object “gli” is followed by the direct object “lo,” they form one word “glielo.”

As a general rule, the indirect object “gli” or “le” is followed by the direct object “lo,” “la,” “li,” or “le,” they form one word:

gli/le    +	lo	=	glielo
	la	=	gliela
	li	=	glieli
	le	=	gliele

Here are a few more examples:

I send them to her.	Io glieli mando.	le + li = glieli
I send it to them.	Io glielo mando.	gli + lo = glielo
I send her to them.	Io gliela mando.	gli + la = gliela

• In French, when the indirect object is in the third person, i.e., “lui” (to him/her) or “leur” (to them), the indirect object is placed after the direct object. Here are a few more examples:

I send them to her.	Je les lui envoie.
I send it to them.	Je le leur envoie.
I send her to them.	Je la leur envoie.

• In Portuguese, we can also combine direct and indirect object pronouns in the same sentence. In this case, we often place the direct object pronoun before the verb and the indirect object pronoun after the verb, as shown in the following two examples:

Ela me vende a casa. Ela a vende. Ela a vende para mim.	She sells me the house. She sells it. She sells it to me.
Eu lhe dou um presente. Eu odou. Eu odou para ele.	I give him a gift. I give it. I give it to him.

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