| 4.7 le and lo |
In the third person singular and plural (he, she, it = singular; they = plural) things can get a bit confusing at the start.
| le and les is the pronoun of the indirect object - in principle: |
| I give him the book. = Le regalo el libro. |  |
| I give her the book. = Le regalo el libro. | |
| I give them the book. = Les regalo el libro. | |
The problem you will find is that sometimes le and les (the pronouns of the indirect object) are used instead of lo and los. There is again a rule to this exception: Only if the object is a male person the pronoun of the direct object can be le or les. This substitution is not made in all of the Spanish speaking countries but it is generally considered correct.
If the object is a female person, a thing or an animal this substitution is not permitted.
The following summary should give you a good overview:
| le and lo, les and los |
| I see Pedro I see him |
Le veo correct |
Lo veo correct |
actually
direct object (acusativo) rule of exception: Pedro = male |
| I see Maria I see her |
Le veo not
correct |
La veo correct |
direct object pronoun (acusativo) no exception: Maria = female |
| I see the boys I see them |
Les veo correct |
Los veo correct |
direct object pronoun
(acusativo) rule of exception: boys = male |
| I see the girls I see them |
Les veo not
correct |
Las veo correct |
direct object (acusativo) no exception: girls = female |
| I give Pedro a book I give him a book |
Le regalo un libro correct |
Lo regalo un libro not correct |
indirect object (dativo) no substitution at all |
I give Maria a book |
Le regalo un libro correct |
Lo regalo un libro not correct |
indirect object (dativo) no substitution at all |
| I give the boys a book I give them a book |
Les regalo un libro correct |
Los regalo un libro not correct |
indirect object (dativo) |
| I give the girls a book I give them a book |
Les regalo un libro correct |
Los regalo un libro not correct |
indirect object (dativo) no substitution at all |
