Double Pronoun Order

Orden de dos pronombres complementos

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Sometimes one pronoun just isn’t enough. A Spanish sentence might need both a direct and indirect object, or a reflexive pronoun plus an object. These "double pronouns" cannot be separated, but the word order is very simple.

 Be sure you fully understand how to use each type of pronoun before continuing with this lesson.

No matter which two of the three you need, and where you place them in the sentence, the pronouns are always in this order:

1. Reflexive pronoun
2. Indirect object pronoun
3. Direct object pronoun

Por ejemplo…

Reflexive + Indirect

Eso nunca se nos ocurrió.		That never occurred to us.
Se me cayó la cara de vergüenza.		My face fell in shame.

Reflexive + Direct

Me lo prometí.		I promised it to myself.
Deberías comprártelos.		You should buy them for yourself.

Indirect + Direct

Nos lo da.		He’s giving it to us.
Te las muestro.		I’m showing them to you.

 Remember that though the order of the double pronouns themselves is fixed, their placement in the sentence can vary. They usually precede the verb(s) they modify, but in the case of infinitives, present participles, and affirmative commands, they can get attached to the end – learn more.

Double object pronoun replacements

When a third person indirect object pronoun (le or les) precedes a third person direct object pronoun (lo, la, los, or las), the indirect pronoun must be changed to se. The context should let you know whether the se is replacing le or les.

le +  les +

{

lo la los las

=

se lo se la se los se las

Por ejemplo …

Se lo da.		He’s giving it to them.
Se lo muestro.		I’m showing it to her.

 This replacement is not optional; native Spanish speakers would never say le lo or les lo.

 However, when se stands for les and is followed by the neuter pronoun lo, Spanish speakers in Latin America will often replace lo with los for clarification.

Por ejemplo …

		No one told them.		It’s true, I assure you.
Spain		Nadie se lo dijo.		Es verdad, se lo aseguro [a Uds].
Lat Am		Nadie se los dijo.		Es verdad, se los aseguro [a Uds].

 Related lessons

• Direct objects
• Indirect objects
• Neuter object pronoun
• Object pronoun placement
   

 En français

• Ordre de deux pronoms compléments
   

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