Let’s talk about reflexive and direct/indirect object pronouns in Spanish! Whether you just started learning Spanish or have been doing so for a while, it’s important to get to the bottom of how to use pronouns in Spanish.

A quick guide to pronouns in Spanish

Reflexive pronouns

Reflexive pronouns are used in English and Spanish whenever the subject of a verb is also its object. For example, me in me veo (“I see myself“) means “myself,” and shows that the person seeing is the same as the person seen.

In fact, we use reflexive pronouns (and verbs) for actions that we perform on ourselves or others perform on themselves. Here’s another example: Jorge se adora. (“Jorge adores himself.”)

Examples of Spanish reflexive pronouns

• me – myself: Me lavo el pelo cada día (I wash my hair every day)
• te – yourself: Te pesas cada mañana (You weigh yourself every morning)
• se – himself, herself, itself: Anna se lava el pelo (Anna washes her hair)
• nos – ourselves: Nos vemos en el espejo (We see ourselves in the mirror)
• os – yourselves: Os cepilláis los dientes (You brush your teeth)
• se – themselves: Se lavan los manos (They wash their hands)

Direct object pronouns in Spanish

Then what about object pronouns? Direct object pronouns are perfect for when you want to simplify a sentence. As a result, we use direct object pronouns to replace a noun (the object of the sentence). Consequently, they also tell us who or what is receiving the action of the verb. For example, Ellos buscan el libro (“The look for the book”) becomes Ellos lo buscan (“They look for it“.) In this case, “it” replaces the thing they are looking for: the book. 

Examples of direct object pronouns

• me – me: Tú me amas (You love me)
• te – you (singular): Yo te conozco (I know you)
• lo – him, it: Lo vemos (We see him)
• la – her, it: La tenéis (You have it)
• nos – us: Tú nos amas (You love us)
• os – you (plural): Ellos os ven (They see you)
• los/las – them: Ella los compra (She buys them)

Indirect object pronouns

While the direct object pronouns replace the noun that the verb is acting on, indirect object pronouns replace to whom and for whom an action is done. Hence, we can simplify the sentence Jorge le compró un perro a Clara (Jorge bought a dog for Clara) by saying Jorge le compró un perro.

Examples of indirect object pronouns in Spanish

• me – me: Maria me compra un libro (Maria buys me a book)
• te – you: Yo te digo la verdad siempre (I always tell you the truth)
• le – him, her: Ella le escribe una carta (She writes him a letter)
• nos – us: Ellos nos dicen la verdad (They tell us the truth)
• os – you: Os damos el dinero (We give you the money)
• les – them: No les vendes el pan (You don’t sell them the bread)

Spanish pronouns 101

That’s all folks! If you want more Spanish lessons, download our free Spanish conversation course ebook, and, in addition, check out our guide to Spanish subject pronouns! Thanks! 🫶