A1 Spanish grammar

Spanish Direct Object Pronouns: Lo, La, Los, and Las

Spanish direct object pronouns replace the person or thing that directly receives an action. At A1, focus on lo, la, los, and las and place them before a conjugated verb.

Identify what receives the action

In Compro el libro, el libro is what is bought, so it is the direct object.

Compro el libro. Lo compro.

I buy the book. I buy it.Lo replaces masculine singular libro.

Quick check

What is the direct object in “Compro el libro”?

Choose Spanish direct object pronouns by gender and number

Replace el libro with lo, la carta with la, los libros with los, and las cartas with las.

Veo a Marta. La veo.

I see Marta. I see her.La replaces a feminine singular person.

Place the pronoun before a conjugated verb

Say Lo compro and Las veo in a basic present-tense sentence.

Tenemos las llaves. Las tenemos.

We have the keys. We have them.Las replaces feminine plural llaves.

Common mistakes

Compro lo.

Lo compro.

Put the pronoun before the conjugated verb.

La libro compro.

Lo compro.

Libro is masculine singular, so use lo.

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Direct object pronouns FAQ

What is a direct object?

It is the person or thing that directly receives the verb's action.

When do I use lo?

Use lo for a masculine singular direct object.

Can la refer to a person?

Yes. La can replace a feminine singular person who receives the action.

Where does the pronoun go?

In this A1 pattern, place it before the conjugated verb.

Continue learning

Basic comparisonsBuild Spanish comparisons with más que, menos que, tan como, and the common forms mejor and peor.Connecting wordsConnect simple Spanish ideas with porque, pero, también, and tampoco while keeping positive and negative agreement clear.Spanish noun genderReview the gender used to choose lo or la.Spanish plural nounsReview the number used to choose los or las.