Indirect object pronouns and doubling

What it is

The indirect object is the person who receives something or is affected by the action: to whom? for whom? Le doy el libro a Juan. Spanish marks that person with a short pronoun before the verb, and usually keeps the noun too.

How to form it

Me, te, nos look the same as the direct object pronouns. Only the third person is different: le, les, with no gender.

Doubling. When the recipient is a noun, Spanish normally names it twice, with le/les and with a + noun: Le doy el libro a Juan. Les escribo a mis padres. Without le the sentence sounds stiff. With a mí, a ti, a él you add emphasis or contrast: Te pregunto a ti, no a él.

Where it goes. Same as lo/la: before the conjugated verb, or on the end of an infinitive or gerund: Le voy a mandar las fotos = Voy a mandarle las fotos.

When to use it

With verbs of giving and communicating: dar, decir, preguntar, contestar, explicar, escribir, mandar, enviar, regalar, prestar, mostrar, contar. And in everyday requests: ¿Me das agua? ¿Me trae la cuenta?

• Le escribo un mensaje a mi mamá.I write my mum a message.doubling
• ¿Me prestas tu bolígrafo?Can you lend me your pen?request
• Les explico la tarea a mis compañeros.I explain the homework to my classmates.plural

Contrasts and traps

• To whom? → le. Who or what? → lo/la: Le escribo (a mi mamá). Lo escribo (el mensaje).
• A plural recipient takes les: Les explico a mis compañeros. In casual speech many people say le here too; write les.
• The recipient takes a, not para: Le doy el libro a Juan.
• Prestar means "to lend"; "to borrow" is pedir prestado.

If you also speak Portuguese

Brazilians say dar o livro pra ele and rarely use lhe. In Spanish le is part of the sentence: Le doy el libro (a él). Me empresta? becomes ¿Me prestas?, and the recipient takes a, not para: Le escribo a mi mamá.