Question 1

In a negative statement with one verb, the indirect object pronoun comes between the negative word and the conjugated verb.

Él no me compra nada.
He doesn’t buy me anything.
He doesn’t buy anything for me.

Accepted Answer

Ella no te trae el desayuno.
She doesn’t bring you breakfast.
She doesn’t bring breakfast for you.

No le mando a él la cuenta.
I don’t send him the bill.
I don’t send the bill to him.

Ellos no nos compran ningún regalo.

Question 2

Compare the affirmative statements with their negative counterparts.

Él me compra algo.
Él no me compra nada.

Accepted Answer

Ella te trae el desayuno.
Ella no te trae el desayuno.

Le mando a él la cuenta.
No le mando a él la cuenta.

Ellos nos compran regalos.
Ellos no nos compran ningún regalo.

Question 3

Remember, don’t translate word-for-word. Instead, think in terms of phrases, or concepts. “Ellos no nos compran ningún regalo” contains 3 concepts:

Accepted Answer

1) ellos nos compran (they buy us)
2) regalo (gift)
3) no, ningún (make the sentence negative)

Question 4

The is the same as the key for direct object pronouns.  think in phrases, not words. The phrases consist of a pronoun and a conjugated verb. In the following examples, note that the IO remains the same, while the subject of the phrase changes.

Accepted Answer

no me compra
he doesn’t buy (for) me

no me compras
you don’t buy (for) me

Question 5

Remember, the IO pronouns le and les present a special problem because they are ambiguous. That is, they can stand for different things.

Accepted Answer

le
to (for) him
to (for) her
to (for) you-formal

les
to (for) them
to (for) you-all-formal

Question 6

The following sentences, while grammatically correct, are ambiguous:

Ella no le escribe una carta.
Ella no les escribe una carta.

Out of context, there is no way we can know the meaning.

Accepted Answer

Ella no le escribe una carta.
She doesn’t write him a letter.
She doesn’t write her a letter.
She doesn’t write you (formal) a letter.

Ella no les escribe una carta.
She doesn’t write them a letter.
She doesn’t write you-all (formal) a letter.

Question 7

Since le and les can mean more than one thing, a prepositional phrase is often added to remove the ambiguity.

Accepted Answer

Ella no le escribe a Juan una carta.
Ella no le escribe a su hermana una carta.
Ella no le escribe a usted una carta.

Ella no les escribe a sus padres una carta.
Ella no les escribe a ustedes una carta.

Question 8

Sometimes a prepositional phrase is added not for clarity, but rather for emphasis.

Accepted Answer

Juan no me da a mí el dinero.
John doesn’t give me the money.
(emphasizing that the money is not given to me but rather to someone else)

Juan no te da a ti el dinero.
John doesn’t give you the money. (emphasis on you)

Question 9

There is no ambiguity in the following sentence. It can only mean one thing.

Juan no me da el dinero.
John doesn’t give me the money.

Accepted Answer

The addition of a prepositional phrase merely adds emphasis.

Juan no me da a mí el dinero.
John doesn’t give me the money.

Question 10

Remember:

The IO tells us where the DO is going.
The IO answers the question “to whom” or “for whom.”
In order for a sentence to have a IO, it must also have a DO.
Sometimes the DO is not stated, but rather is implied, or understood.

Accepted Answer

IO pronouns: me, te, le, nos, os, les.
In a negative sentence, place the pronoun between the negative word and the conjugated verb.
Think in phrases
Le and les are ambiguous.
Prepositional phrases are often used for clarity and for emphasis.

Question 11

In an affirmative statement with one verb, the indirect object pronoun comes immediately before the conjugated verb.

Juan me compra un regalo.
John buys me a gift.
John buys a gift for me.

Accepted Answer

Juan nos compra un regalo.
John buys us a gift.
John buys a gift for us.

Question 12

When a sentence has two verbs, the first verb is conjugated and the second verb remains in the infinitive form.

poder
to be able
pagar
to pay
Puedo pagar diez pesos.
I am able to pay 10 pesos.

Accepted Answer

preferir
to prefer
hablar
to speak
Elena prefiere hablar español.
Elena prefers to speak Spanish.

Question 13

In sentences with two verbs, there are two options regarding the placement of the indirect object pronoun.

Place it immediately before the conjugated verb
Attach it directly to the infinitive
Here are examples:

Accepted Answer

Me necesitas dar un regalo.
You need to give me a gift.

Te necesito comprar un sombrero.

Juan nos debe prestar el dinero.
Juan must lend us the money.

María le quiere alquilar a Juan el apartamento.
María wants to rent the apartment to Juan.

Question 14

Here are examples of the indirect object pronoun attached directly to the infinitive:

Necesitas darme un regalo.
You need to give me a gift.

Accepted Answer

Necesito comprarte un sombrero.
I need to buy you a hat.

Juan debe prestarnos el dinero.
Juan must lend us the money.

María quiere alquilarle a Juan el apartamento.
María wants to rent the apartment to Juan.

Question 15

Here are the two methods side by side. Neither method is “better” than the other.

Me necesitas dar un regalo.
Necesitas darme un regalo.
You need to give me a gift.

Accepted Answer

Te necesito comprar un sombrero.
Necesito comprarte un sombrero.

Juan nos debe prestar el dinero.
Juan debe prestarnos el dinero.

María le quiere alquilar a Juan el apartamento.
María quiere alquilarle a Juan el apartamento.

Question 16

When reading or hearing sentences like these, you must learn to recognize whole groups of words, rather than inspecting each word independently.

Me necesitas dar un regalo.
Me necesitas dar = You need to give me
Necesitas darme un regalo.

Accepted Answer

Te necesito comprar un sombrero.
Te necesito comprar = I need to buy you

Necesito comprarte un sombrero.
Necesito comprarte = I need to buy you

Question 17

Your success in being able to recognize these groups is largely dependent upon having learned previous material — namely verb conjugation.
You need to automatically recognize “necesito comprar” as “I need to buy.”

Accepted Answer

If you can do that, it is just one small step to recognize “te necesito comprar” as “I need to buy for you.” From there, the final step is easy: “Te necesito comprar un regalo.”

Term

Term

Term

Grammar Rules 4

Term	Definition
In a negative statement with one verb, the indirect object pronoun comes between the negative word and the conjugated verb. Él no me compra nada. He doesn’t buy me anything. He doesn’t buy anything for me.	Ella no te trae el desayuno. She doesn’t bring you breakfast. She doesn’t bring breakfast for you. No le mando a él la cuenta. I don’t send him the bill. I don’t send the bill to him. Ellos no nos compran ningún regalo.
Compare the affirmative statements with their negative counterparts. Él me compra algo. Él no me compra nada.	Ella te trae el desayuno. Ella no te trae el desayuno. Le mando a él la cuenta. No le mando a él la cuenta. Ellos nos compran regalos. Ellos no nos compran ningún regalo.
Remember, don’t translate word-for-word. Instead, think in terms of phrases, or concepts. “Ellos no nos compran ningún regalo” contains 3 concepts:	1) ellos nos compran (they buy us) 2) regalo (gift) 3) no, ningún (make the sentence negative)
The is the same as the key for direct object pronouns. think in phrases, not words. The phrases consist of a pronoun and a conjugated verb. In the following examples, note that the IO remains the same, while the subject of the phrase changes.	no me compra he doesn’t buy (for) me no me compras you don’t buy (for) me
Remember, the IO pronouns le and les present a special problem because they are ambiguous. That is, they can stand for different things.	le to (for) him to (for) her to (for) you-formal les to (for) them to (for) you-all-formal
The following sentences, while grammatically correct, are ambiguous: Ella no le escribe una carta. Ella no les escribe una carta. Out of context, there is no way we can know the meaning.	Ella no le escribe una carta. She doesn’t write him a letter. She doesn’t write her a letter. She doesn’t write you (formal) a letter. Ella no les escribe una carta. She doesn’t write them a letter. She doesn’t write you-all (formal) a letter.
Since le and les can mean more than one thing, a prepositional phrase is often added to remove the ambiguity.	Ella no le escribe a Juan una carta. Ella no le escribe a su hermana una carta. Ella no le escribe a usted una carta. Ella no les escribe a sus padres una carta. Ella no les escribe a ustedes una carta.
Sometimes a prepositional phrase is added not for clarity, but rather for emphasis.	Juan no me da a mí el dinero. John doesn’t give me the money. (emphasizing that the money is not given to me but rather to someone else) Juan no te da a ti el dinero. John doesn’t give you the money. (emphasis on you)
There is no ambiguity in the following sentence. It can only mean one thing. Juan no me da el dinero. John doesn’t give me the money.	The addition of a prepositional phrase merely adds emphasis. Juan no me da a mí el dinero. John doesn’t give me the money.
Remember: The IO tells us where the DO is going. The IO answers the question “to whom” or “for whom.” In order for a sentence to have a IO, it must also have a DO. Sometimes the DO is not stated, but rather is implied, or understood.	IO pronouns: me, te, le, nos, os, les. In a negative sentence, place the pronoun between the negative word and the conjugated verb. Think in phrases Le and les are ambiguous. Prepositional phrases are often used for clarity and for emphasis.
In an affirmative statement with one verb, the indirect object pronoun comes immediately before the conjugated verb. Juan me compra un regalo. John buys me a gift. John buys a gift for me.	Juan nos compra un regalo. John buys us a gift. John buys a gift for us.
When a sentence has two verbs, the first verb is conjugated and the second verb remains in the infinitive form. poder to be able pagar to pay Puedo pagar diez pesos. I am able to pay 10 pesos.	preferir to prefer hablar to speak Elena prefiere hablar español. Elena prefers to speak Spanish.
In sentences with two verbs, there are two options regarding the placement of the indirect object pronoun. Place it immediately before the conjugated verb Attach it directly to the infinitive Here are examples:	Me necesitas dar un regalo. You need to give me a gift. Te necesito comprar un sombrero. Juan nos debe prestar el dinero. Juan must lend us the money. María le quiere alquilar a Juan el apartamento. María wants to rent the apartment to Juan.
Here are examples of the indirect object pronoun attached directly to the infinitive: Necesitas darme un regalo. You need to give me a gift.	Necesito comprarte un sombrero. I need to buy you a hat. Juan debe prestarnos el dinero. Juan must lend us the money. María quiere alquilarle a Juan el apartamento. María wants to rent the apartment to Juan.
Here are the two methods side by side. Neither method is “better” than the other. Me necesitas dar un regalo. Necesitas darme un regalo. You need to give me a gift.	Te necesito comprar un sombrero. Necesito comprarte un sombrero. Juan nos debe prestar el dinero. Juan debe prestarnos el dinero. María le quiere alquilar a Juan el apartamento. María quiere alquilarle a Juan el apartamento.
When reading or hearing sentences like these, you must learn to recognize whole groups of words, rather than inspecting each word independently. Me necesitas dar un regalo. Me necesitas dar = You need to give me Necesitas darme un regalo.	Te necesito comprar un sombrero. Te necesito comprar = I need to buy you Necesito comprarte un sombrero. Necesito comprarte = I need to buy you
Your success in being able to recognize these groups is largely dependent upon having learned previous material — namely verb conjugation. You need to automatically recognize “necesito comprar” as “I need to buy.”	If you can do that, it is just one small step to recognize “te necesito comprar” as “I need to buy for you.” From there, the final step is easy: “Te necesito comprar un regalo.”

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