Word order of direct object pronouns

[Suhi]

Hi,

I am beginner in Spanish and currently learning the direct and indirect object pronouns.
I think I understood the it but I am not 100% of the word order when there are two verbs in the same sentence. The book says I can either

- put the direct object pronoun before the first verb which is conjugated
for example Lo esta comiendo

- or put the direct object pronoun to the end of the second verb which is in infinitive
for example Esta comiendolo

This is clear but I was told that in the below below example it is not correct to say :

Lo regresamos a comprar

I was told it is only correct written like this:

Regresamos a comprarlo.

Can someone confirm which one is the correct ( if noy both) and why?

Thanks a lot

[aleCcowaN]

The reason is meaning.

Lo regresamos = we sent it back
regresamos = we came back

You may hear many natives saying "Lo regresamos a comprar", but it's just an anacoluthon, that is, a bad speech planing with changes in the middle of the sentence.

In my country we'd use "volvimos"

Lo volvimos a comprar = Volvimos a comprarlo = we bought it again
Volvimos para comprarlo = we came back (in order) to buy it.

[Suhi]

Thanks,
so if I got it right the example with regresamos or volvimos is an exception to the rule of the word order of the direct object pronouns?

As long as the sentence is grammatically correct (so its not a anacoluthon) then I can still place the direct object pronoun either before the first (conjugated) verb or append it to the infinitive or gerund verb?

thanks again

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Originally Posted by Suhi

- put the direct object pronoun before the first verb which is conjugated
for example Lo está comiendo

- or put the direct object pronoun to the end of the second verb which is in infinitive a "gerundio" (or is a "verboide" --"infinitivo", "gerundio" or "participio")
for example Está comiéndolo

This is clear but I was told that in the below below example it is not correct to say :

Lo regresamos a comprar

I was told it is only correct written like this:

Regresamos a comprarlo.

Can someone confirm which one is the correct ( if noy both) and why?

Thanks a lot

Both "regresamos a comprarlo" and "lo regresamos a comprar" are heard in daily speech, but for correctness, the pronoun must be closer to the verb related to it. So, "regresar" is not the verb related to the thing we bought, but "comprar" is, so the preferred sentence is "regresamos a comprarlo".

Object	Instead of	We prefer
Bad situation	No lo quiero aceptar.	No quiero aceptarlo.
The dishes	¿Los prefieres lavar ahora o más tarde?	¿Prefieres lavarlos ahora o más tarde?
A novel	La tengo que volver a leer.	Tengo que volver a leerla.
My daughters	Las voy a llevar a la escuela.	Voy a llevarlas a la escuela.

I think this applies equally to your first example, but maybe the book considers that both verbs together make one conjugation, so the pronoun is fine in both places. (Although I do prefer the second sentence in the next examples, the first one is the most commonly heard in colloquial speech.)

- Lo está comiendo. Está comiéndolo.
- Las estamos viendo. Estamos viéndolas.
- La están examinando. Están examinándola.
- Los estoy leyendo. Estoy leyéndolos.

[Suhi]

Great, thanks,
good explanation I have to keep practising

[aleCcowaN]

Originally Posted by Suhi

As long as the sentence is grammatically correct (so its not a anacoluthon) then I can still place the direct object pronoun either before the first (conjugated) verb or append it to the infinitive or gerund verb?

Exactly.

You may use the safe way, as Angélica explained, which basically renders Spanish more English-like.

The key concept here is English being dependent on word order to parse it, because that tells if a word is being used as a verb, noun or adjective, or even sets which tense is used, while Spanish if freer. Still, we tend to parse verb and pronouns put together instantly though our minds stay open to revise the whole. That's how "lo regresamos" change its meaning when the sentence is completed ("lo regresamos a comprar"), but the sentence looks a bit clunky because it forces us to re-parse it.

You have the additional problem of lexicalized pronouns (pronouns that are sorting the meaning of a verb), as in "pasarla bien" ("having a good time") where "la" doesn't refer to anyone or anything specific in that sentence.

That's why the seemingly innocent

nos estamos viendo = estamos viéndonos = we are seeing each other (right now)

are almost never used in that sense because

nos estamos viendo = see you later; sea you tomorrow; see ya
estamos viéndonos = we're dating

So, my advise is:

• You should understand both word orders (lo está comiendo; está comiéndolo)
• In the beginning, you should stick to "está comiéndolo"
• You should not worry about the awful lot of meaning and vocabulary issues that this topic seems to arise.
• You should consider starting with a pronoun when you're answering a question that ends with an element represented by such pronoun: ("-¿Cómo está la salud de tu tía? -La están operando ahora"; "-¿Hiciste la tarea/los deberes? -La/los estoy haciendo ahora mismo).
• In this stage you probably are aware that we don't use much the pronoun when the verb conveys the needed information ("voy para mi casa" instead of "yo voy para mi casa") but those pronouns appear when we try to make clear, to contradict, to change the course of the dialogue, to be assertive, and all sort of similar reasons ("-¿Alguien va para el centro y me puede llevar?" -Yo voy para mi casa. -Yo me quedo acá -Yo, también"). Well, you should start to learn we do exactly the same with the pronouns you are asking about in this thread