se lo/se la/se los/se las

Double Object Pronouns

Level 2

Use 'se' instead of 'le' or 'les' before 'lo', 'la', 'los', or 'las'.

How It Works

When you use both an indirect object pronoun and a direct object pronoun together in a sentence, a special rule applies.

Normally, the indirect object pronoun comes before the direct object pronoun. However, if the indirect pronoun is le (to him/her/you) or les (to them/you all), and it's followed by the direct pronoun lo, la, los, or las, you must change le/les to se.

The Rule: le/les + lo/la/los/las → se + lo/la/los/las

This change happens purely for phonetic reasons—to make the sentence sound better and avoid the repetitive 'l' sound (e.g., 'le lo').

Let's see it in action:

  • Original sentence: Doy el libro a Carlos. (I give the book to Carlos.)
  • With indirect pronoun: Le doy el libro. (I give the book to him.)
  • With direct pronoun: Lo doy a Carlos. (I give it to Carlos.)
  • Combining them (Incorrect): Le lo doy.
  • Combining them (Correct): Se lo doy. (I give it to him.)

Important Note on 'se':
The pronoun 'se' in this context can be ambiguous. It can mean 'to him', 'to her', 'to you (formal)', 'to them', or 'to you all'. If the context isn't clear, you can add a prepositional phrase like a él, a ella, a ustedes, etc., at the end of the sentence for clarification.
Example: Se lo di. (I gave it to him/her/them?) → Se lo di a ella. (I gave it to her.)

Examples (5)

  1. ¿Le diste el regalo a tu hermano? Sí, se lo di esta mañana.

    Did you give the gift to your brother? Yes, I gave it to him this morning.

    Word by Word: To him you gave the gift to your brother? Yes, to him it I gave this morning.

    'le lo di' becomes 'se lo di'. 'Se' refers to 'a tu hermano' (to your brother) and 'lo' refers to 'el regalo' (the gift).

  2. Compré unas flores para mi abuela. Voy a dárselas esta tarde.

    I bought some flowers for my grandmother. I'm going to give them to her this afternoon.

    Word by Word: I bought some flowers for my grandmother. I go to give them to her this afternoon.

    Here, the pronouns are attached to the infinitive 'dar'. 'le las' becomes 'se las'. 'Se' is 'to her' and 'las' is 'them' (the flowers).

  3. Los niños pidieron un cuento. Su padre se lo está leyendo ahora.

    The children asked for a story. Their father is reading it to them now.

    Word by Word: The children asked for a story. Their father to them it is reading now.

    'les lo' becomes 'se lo'. 'Se' refers to 'los niños' (to the children) and 'lo' refers to 'un cuento' (a story).

  4. Mi amiga necesitaba la receta, así que se la envié por correo.

    My friend needed the recipe, so I sent it to her by mail.

    Word by Word: My friend needed the recipe, so that to her it I sent by mail.

    'le la envié' becomes 'se la envié'. 'Se' refers to 'mi amiga' (to her) and 'la' refers to 'la receta' (it).

  5. ¿Quién tiene mis llaves? Se las dejé al recepcionista.

    Who has my keys? I left them with the receptionist.

    Word by Word: Who has my keys? To him them I left to the receptionist.

    'le las dejé' becomes 'se las dejé'. 'Se' refers to 'al recepcionista' (to him) and 'las' refers to 'mis llaves' (them).

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'le lo' or 'les la' instead of 'se lo' or 'se la'.

    Le lo dije ayer.
    Se lo dije ayer.

    Spanish grammar avoids the 'le lo' sound combination. The indirect object pronoun 'le' or 'les' must change to 'se' when it comes before 'lo', 'la', 'los', or 'las'.

  • Leaving se unclear when the listener cannot tell who it means.

    Different MeaningSe lo compré.
    Se lo compré a ella.

    Se lo compré is correct when the context shows who I bought it for. The pronoun se can mean to him, to her, to you (formal) or to them, so when it is unclear, add a phrase such as a él, a ella or a ellos.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

se lo/se la/se los/se lasLevel 2Double Object Pronouns

Learn This First

To learn double object pronouns, you must first be comfortable using direct and indirect object pronouns individually. This pattern specifically addresses the phonetic rule in Spanish where 'le' or 'les' changes to 'se' to avoid the 'l-l' sound combination when followed by 'lo', 'la', 'los', or 'las'.

Words in This Pattern

las