Indirect-object clitics

An indirect object often identifies the recipient: dono el llibre a la Marta becomes li dono el llibre. Li does not distinguish male and female recipients. Plural els also covers both genders: escric als meus pares becomes els escric.

A plural indirect recipient always uses els in the basic preverbal form, regardless of gender: a les alumnes, els he enviat el missatge. Les would be a feminine plural direct-object pronoun and would change the grammatical role.

The full recipient phrase may be added to clarify the person or contrast recipients in appropriate discourse: li he escrit a la Marta. When both recipient and thing are replaced, learn the regional cluster as a unit; do not simply put li beside an independently chosen direct-object form. After an infinitive, attach -li or the appropriate plural form: escriure-li, enviar-los un missatge.