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Direct Objects / Los Complementos Directos

Direct objects receive the action of the verb and can be replaced with direct object pronouns. In Spanish, the personal "a" precedes direct objects referring to specific people or pets. Direct object pronouns come before conjugated verbs and after "no". They can also be attached to infinitives and present participles. The pronouns "lo/la/los/las" can have different meanings depending on context.

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Brenda Aleman
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204 views

Direct Objects / Los Complementos Directos

Direct objects receive the action of the verb and can be replaced with direct object pronouns. In Spanish, the personal "a" precedes direct objects referring to specific people or pets. Direct object pronouns come before conjugated verbs and after "no". They can also be attached to infinitives and present participles. The pronouns "lo/la/los/las" can have different meanings depending on context.

Uploaded by

Brenda Aleman
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Direct Objects

Direct Objects / Los complementos directos

 the direct object / el complemento directo = the noun or pronoun that


receives the action of the verb

 In English and in Spanish, the direct object (el complemento directo) of a


sentence answers the question what? or who(m)? in relation to the subject
and verb.

Más ejemplos:

1. Yo no respondo los correos electrónicos hasta el fin del día.

2. Ella siempre dejaba las llaves sobre la mesa.

3. Ella nunca tomaba la medicina a tiempo.

4. Ud. saludaba amablemente a todos.

5. Sofía ayuda a la abuela a cocinar.


The Personal a / La a personal
 In Spanish, the word a immediately precedes (comes before) the direct object of
a sentence when the direct object refers to a specific person or persons.
 This a, called the personal a (la a personal), has no equivalent in English*
 The personal a is not used when the direct object is a nonspecific person or an
unknown person.

1. Vamos a visitar a nuestros abuelos.


We’re going to visit our grandparents.
Vs.
Vamos a visitar la casa de nuestros abuelos.
We’re going to visit our grandparents’ house.

2. Necesitan a sus padres.


They need their parents.
Vs.
Necesitan el coche de sus padres.
They need their parents’ car.

3. Conozco a un buen chef.


I know a great chef.
Vs.
Necesito un buen chef para una fiesta.
I need a great chef for a party.

 Pets (but not all animals) are treated like people and take the personal a.

4. ¿Ves a Bear, mi perro?


Do you see Bear, my dog?
Vs.
¿Ves el perro allí?
Do you see the dog over there?

 The personal a is used before the interrogative words ¿quién? and ¿quiénes?
when they function as direct objects.

5. ¿A quién llamas? ¿al camarero?


Who(m) are you calling? The waiter?

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 The English verbs to listen to / look at / look for / wait for are all followed by
prepositional phrases (a preposition + noun or pronoun). However, the Spanish
equivalents of those verbs (escuchar, mirar, buscar, and esperar) are not
followed by prepositions. They are followed by the personal a before a
specific person or pet.

Ej.: Compare these pairs of sentences:

Miro el menú. I’m looking at the menu.


Miro al niño. I’m looking at the boy.

Espero el autobús. I’m waiting for the bus.


Espero al niño. I’m waiting for the boy.

 Don’t confuse the personal a with other uses of the word a that you have
learned so far.

o a = the preposition to
o a = used after some verbs before an infinitive

 Voy a la universidad.
 En esta clase aprendemos a hablar español.
 Vamos a salir mañana.

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Direct Object Pronouns / Los pronombres del complemento directo

1. Direct Object Pronouns


 Like direct object nouns, direct object pronouns (los pronombres del complemento
directo) are the first recipient of the action of the verb.

 If the direct object noun were repeated in the English, it would sound very repetitive:
Where are the carrots? / ¿Dónde están las zanahorias?
Do you need the carrots right now? / ¿Necesitas las zanahorias ahora mismo?

 Direct object pronouns avoid that kind of unnecessary repetition:


Do you need them right now? / ¿Las necesitas ahora mismo?

2. Placement of Direct Object Pronouns


 Direct object pronouns are placed:
1. before a conjugated verb
2. after the word no when it appears

o ¿Conoces a Diego? Do you know Diego?


No, no lo conozco. No, I don’t know him.

o ¿Quién te llama más por teléfono? Who calls you the most?
Mi madre me llama más. My mother calls me the most.

3. With Infinitives or Present Participles


 When the conjugated verb is followed by an infinitive or a present participle, the
pronouns either come before the conjugated verb or follow (and are attached to):
o the infinitive
o the present participle

Las tengo que leer.


Tengo que leerlas.

Lo estoy comiendo.
Estoy comiéndolo.

 When the pronoun is added to the end of a present participle, an accent mark is added to
retain the original stress: mirando → mirándolo.

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4. Multiple Meanings of lo/la/los/las
 Note that the direct object pronouns lo/la/los/las have different meanings depending on
the context. In the first sentence below, it is impossible to know what lo means.

No lo veo por la niebla.

I don’t see (it/ him/ you (form)) because of the fog.

 Notice how the meaning of lo is clear in the three sentences that follow:

¿El coche? No lo veo por la niebla. (lo = it)


¿El niño? No lo veo por la niebla. (lo = him)
¿Ud.? No lo veo por la niebla. (lo = you [form.])

5. The Pronoun lo
 Note that the direct object pronoun lo can refer to actions, situations, or ideas in general.
When used in this way, lo expresses English it or that.

Lo comprende muy bien.


He understands it (that) very well.

No lo creo.
I don’t believe it (that).

Lo sé.
I know (it).

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