li, els

Indirect Object Pronouns Li and Els

Level 2

Li replaces a singular indirect object; els replaces a plural indirect object.

How It Works

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.

Before a finite verb, use li or els. After an infinitive, use the attached forms: donar-li, escriure'ls. A following vowel does not turn singular li into l'; l' is a direct-object form, not the ordinary indirect-object elision.

Some verbs take an indirect object where another language may use a direct one: li telefono or li truco. Learn the Catalan construction with the verb. When both a direct and indirect object are replaced, special pronoun combinations apply and can vary regionally.

Examples (3)

  1. Li envio una carta.

    I send him or her a letter.

  2. Els explico el problema.

    I explain the problem to them.

  3. Vull telefonar-li avui.

    I want to telephone him or her today.

How It Connects

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li, elsLevel 2Indirect Object Pronouns Li and Els

Learn This First

Distinguish the action's recipient from its direct object.

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