nolo / volo / llelo
Combined Pronouns Nolo, Volo and Llelo
When nos, vos or lles meet o, a, os, as, they join into one word with the lo form: nolo (it to us), volo (it to you all), llelo (it to them).
How It Works
The forms
- nos + o, a, os, as = nolo, nola, nolos, nolas (it or them to us)
- vos + o, a, os, as = volo, vola, volos, volas (it or them to you all)
- lles + o, a, os, as = llelo, llela, llelos, llelas (it or them to them)
This is the same change as in facelo: the final -s disappears and the direct pronoun appears as lo, la, los, las.
Compare the singular persons. With me, che and lle the result is shorter: mo, cho, llo (see mo, cho, llo). So Díxenllo means I told him or her, and Díxenllelo means I told them.
Where it goes. The combination follows the normal placement rules: after the verb in a plain statement (Díxonolo onte), before it after xa, non, question words and subordinating words (Xa llelo expliquei, Quen volo dixo?). As usual, a verb plus its pronouns is accented as one word: díxonolo, lévallelos.
About lles. In much of Galicia speakers use lle for both singular and plural, and so say llo for both. The standard keeps the plural lles and therefore llelo for to them.
Examples (5)
- Díxonolo onte.
He told us yesterday.
Word by Word: He-told-us-it yesterday.
Dixo + nos + o = díxonolo, accented because the stress falls four syllables from the end.
- Xa llelo expliquei.
I already explained it to them.
Xa pulls llelo (lles + o) before the verb.
- Quen volo dixo?
Who told you (all) that?
The question word quen puts volo before dixo.
- Pedimos a chave, pero non nola deron.
We asked for the key, but they did not give it to us.
Nola is nos + a, agreeing with a chave.
- Os libros son para os nenos: lévallelos ti.
The books are for the children: you take them to them.
Leva + lles + os = lévallelos in an affirmative command.
Common Mistakes
Writing the two pronouns separately without the lo form.
Díxonos o onte.Díxonolo onte.Nos + o always fuses into nolo, written as one word with the verb.
Not making the lo part agree with the thing given.
Pedimos as chaves, pero non nolo deron.Pedimos as chaves, pero non nolas deron.The second part agrees with the thing given. As chaves is feminine plural, so nos + as = nolas.
Copying the Spanish se lo pattern.
Se lo dixen aos meus pais.Díxenllelo aos meus pais.Galician has no se lo combination; lles + o becomes llelo, attached after the verb in a plain statement.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Plural indirect pronouns combine with direct pronouns in nolo, volo and llelo forms.
Related Patterns
- me / che / lle / nos / vos / llesIndirect Object Pronouns
The indirect object pronouns that form the first part of these combinations.
Level 2 - me / te / o / a / nos / vos / os / asDirect Object Pronouns
The direct object pronouns that become lo, la, los, las in these combinations.
Level 2 - lo, la After -r and -sPronoun Forms Lo and La After -r and -s
The same lo change that happens after verb forms ending in -r and -s.
Level 2 - Pronouns After the Verb
The placement rule that attaches the combination after the verb in a plain statement.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice nolo / volo / llelo in Bubblegum
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