mo / cho / llo
Combined Pronouns Mo, Cho and Llo
Galician never writes the pronouns me o or che a side by side. The indirect pronoun drops its e and joins the direct one: mo (it to me), cho (it to you), llo (it to him, to her, or to you formally).
How It Works
The full set.
- me + o, a, os, as → mo, ma, mos, mas
- che + o, a, os, as → cho, cha, chos, chas
- lle + o, a, os, as → llo, lla, llos, llas
The first part shows who receives, and the ending shows what is given: O libro? Deicho onte. (The book? I gave it to you yesterday.) A chave? Deicha onte. (The key? I gave it to you yesterday.)
Where it goes. The combined form follows the usual position rules. In a plain statement or a command it follows the verb and joins it: Deillo, Dimo (tell me it), Déixamo ver (let me see it). After negatives, question words, linking words and adverbs such as xa, it goes in front: Non cho digo, Quen cho dixo?, Xa cho dixen. See enclisis and pronouns after certain adverbs.
Accents. Verb and pronoun are accented as one word: deixa + mo → déixamo, conta + llo → cóntallo. A diacritic accent stays: dá + mo → dámo.
Lle and lles. Lle covers "to him", "to her" and formal "to you", so llo can mean any of them: Xa llo dixen a vostede. The plural lles combines differently, as llelo. That form and nolo, volo are in nolo, volo and llelo.
A lookalike. Here mos means "them to me", not the verb ending -mos: Os zapatos? Mercoumos a miña nai (The shoes? My mother bought them for me).
Examples (6)
- Xa cho dixen onte.
I already told you yesterday.
Word by Word: Already you-it told-I yesterday.
Cho = che (to you) + o (it). Xa pulls it in front of the verb.
- Déixamo ver un momento.
Let me see it for a moment.
Word by Word: Let-me-it see a moment.
- Deillo á miña irmá.
I gave it to my sister.
Word by Word: Gave-I-her-it to-the my sister.
- Se queres a bicicleta, empréstocha.
If you want the bike, I'll lend it to you.
Word by Word: If want-you the bicycle, lend-I-you-it.
Cha: che + a, because bicicleta is feminine.
- Quen cho dixo?
Who told you that?
Word by Word: Who you-it said?
- Os zapatos? Mercoumos a miña nai.
The shoes? My mother bought them for me.
Word by Word: The shoes? Bought-me-them the my mother.
Common Mistakes
Keeping the two pronouns apart.
Xa che o dixen.Xa cho dixen.When che and o meet, they always fuse into cho.
Using Spanish forms and order.
Me lo dixo onte.Díxomo onte.Galician has no lo after me: me + o = mo. With no trigger word in front, the pronoun follows the verb and joins it.
Not matching the ending to the thing given.
A chave? Xa cho dei.A chave? Xa cha dei.Chave is feminine, so the second part is a: che + a = cha.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Indirect and direct pronouns combine into forms such as mo, cho and llo.
Related Patterns
- me / che / lle / nos / vos / llesIndirect Object Pronouns
The indirect pronouns that form the first part of each combination.
Level 2 - me / te / o / a / nos / vos / os / asDirect Object Pronouns
The direct pronouns o, a, os, as that form the second part.
Level 2 - nolo / volo / lleloCombined Pronouns Nolo, Volo and Llelo
The combinations with nos, vos and lles, which work differently.
Level 4 - te / cheTe vs. Che
Only che, the indirect form, combines: che + o = cho.
Level 2 - Commands With Pronouns
Commands often carry combined pronouns: dámo, cóntallo.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice mo / cho / llo in Bubblegum
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