Spanish Direct Objects ~ Objetos directos

Just like English, the Spanish language has direct object pronouns, words that replace the direct object. This is so that we don't say things like "Maria was at the bank today. When I saw Maria I smiled." It's much more natural to say "Maria was at the bank today. When I saw her I smiled."

The direct object is the person or thing that receives the action of the verb in a sentence. To find the direct object in a sentence, ask the question Who? or What?

I have a book - Tengo un libro.
Lo tengo. = I have it.
What do I have? A book.

He knows Maria - Conoce a Maria.
La conoce. = He knows her.
Who does he know? Maria.

The Spanish direct object pronouns are as follows:

Note: Lo is also a neuter object pronoun.

The most difficult thing to remember about direct object pronouns is this: they usually go in front of the verb in Spanish.

I'm eating it. - Lo como.
He knows her. - La conoce.
I love you. - Te quiero.
You love me. - Me quieres.

For infinitives, present participles, and affirmative commands, pronouns can get attached to the end - learn more.

Lo voy a hacer OR Voy a hacerlo - I'm going to do it.
Los quiero comer OR Quiero comerlos - I want to eat them.

Note: When deciding between direct and indirect objects, the general rule is that if the person or thing is preceded by a preposition, that person/thing is an indirect object. If it is not preceded by a preposition, it is a direct object. In Spanish, the preposition a must be used between every verb (except tener) and the person that follows, thus all verbs except tener take an indirect object (even though some might take a direct object in English).

Test on direct object pronouns

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