Los / Les

[fglorca]

Pleased to meet you (plural):

• Encantado de conoceros (informal)
• Encantado de conocerlos (formal; direct object pronoun)
• Encantado de conocerles (formal; indirect object pronoun)

My understanding of 'leísmo' is when the direct object pronoun 'lo' is replaced with the indirect object pronoun 'le'. I didn't think you could replace 'los' or 'las' with 'les' but I hear the third expression above (with 'les') a lot in Spain.

It is technically the direct object pronoun we should be using here, isn't it?

Is the third expression above (with 'les') incorrect?

[wrholt]

The RAE article about leísmo in "Diccionario panhispánico de dudas" may be worth reviewing for what the RAE's position is on this topic.

Based on this article, I think that in those regions which where "le" is accepted as a direct object for a single human male, "les" is also likely to be accepted as a direct object for a group of people that is not known to be all-female.

The article also discusses several situations where we native speakers of English might perceive a direct object but native speakers of Spanish might perceive an indirect object.

[fglorca]

Thank you so much, wrholt.