2 indirect objects?
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rparmst
June 26, 2012, 04:53 AM
The other day I said to my friend, "Dile a Félix hola por mi." (I was trying to say, "Tell Felix hello for me.")
My native-speaking friend said that no native speaker would say it that way--that he or she would say, "Me le da los saludos a Félix."
I was thinking about me and le in this sentence and it seems that they are both indirect objects, since los saludos appear to be the direct object. Is this correct?
And if he answered me and said, more or less, "I will give him those for you," could he say, "Ok. Te le los doy."??
Are there other examples of phrases you could give me with this structure (if it is in fact ok to use 2 indirect objects)?
Thanks!
poli
June 26, 2012, 09:57 AM
The other day I said to my friend, "Dile a Félix hola por mi." (I was trying to say, "Tell Felix hello for me.")
My native-speaking friend said that no native speaker would say it that way--that he or she would say, "Me le da los saludos a Félix."
I was thinking about me and le in this sentence and it seems that they are both indirect objects, since los saludos appear to be the direct object. Is this correct?
And if he answered me and said, more or less, "I will give him those for you," could he say, "Ok. Te le los doy."??
Are there other examples of phrases you could give me with this structure (if it is in fact ok to use 2 indirect objects)?
Thanks!
Wait for a native speaker, and I don't wish to sound presumptuous but dale saludos de mi parte sounds OK to me.
And a good answer would be (at least to my gringo-ish ear), Sí, le voy a dar tus saludos.
Rusty
June 26, 2012, 10:33 AM
Giving can easily be seen as a 'three-participant' event; there is a donor, a gift and a recipient. These participants answer the roles of subject (he who is giving), direct object (what is being given) and indirect object (he who is receiving). However, to convey the idea that this event is being done on behalf of someone else (as in 'do this event 'for me' or 'because of me'), a fourth participant is added to the mix. This is where another object can come into play. It may be that the additional object isn't called a indirect object, but it certainly is taken from that object group.
"Me le da los saludos a Félix." :thumbsup: Also note that the present indicative tense is used instead of the imperative mood. This is a very common practice, as it sounds less harsh.
And if he answered me and said, more or less, "I will give him those for you," could he say, "Ok. Te le los doy."??Two objects that start with the letter 'l' are not allowed in Spanish (because of the cacophony). The indirect object is changed to 'se' when that occurs. So, 'te se los doy' would be the response.
Don José
June 26, 2012, 10:53 AM
Wait for a native speaker, and I don't wish to sound presumptuous but dale saludos de mi parte sounds OK to me.
And a good answer would be (at least to my gringo-ish ear), Sí, le voy a dar tus saludos.
That's fine.
I wouldn't say "Me le da los saludos a Félix".
Both "te le los doy" and "te se los doy" sound awful to me. But I don't know if they are used elsewhere.
rparmst: where is your friend from?
wrholt
June 26, 2012, 11:17 AM
...The indirect object is changed to 'se' when that occurs. So, 'se te se los doy' would be the response.
My references are B&B and DPD. DPD at rae.es is down at the moment: the error message indicates that RAE is updating the online version.
Both sources categorically state that the order of object pronouns when using 2 or 3 of them is always:
(1) se,
(2) 2nd person pronoun (either te or os),
(3) 1st person pronoun (either me or nos),
(4) 3rd-person pronoun (any one of lo, la, los, las, le or les).
Rusty
June 26, 2012, 12:30 PM
Thanks, wrholt. I have heard it said wrong enough times that I thought it sounded right. There are plenty of bad examples on the internet. ;)
aleCcowaN
June 26, 2012, 03:53 PM
"Se te los doy". I don't think so.
"Dile a Félix hola por mí" is not the best Spanish but tens of millions of native speakers would say it that way. "Dile a Félix hola de mi parte" or "Dile a Félix que le digo hola" (or "yo digo hola" or "yo le digo hola") are other ways to say it, the first one being the best as it is correct and it works in different levels of formality.
About "Me le da saludos a Félix" has an apparent extra "me" which is both a "dativo ético" meaning the action ("giving his regards") is very important to the person and it tones down the harsh order "le da saludos a Félix". That extra pronoun is not a pronoun of direct or indirect object.
Anyway "me le da saludos a Félix" sounds Mexican or Central American to me. I wouldn't use it because it sounds too complicated yet impolite to my ears, although I'm sure there's an intention of formal politeness behind.
rparmst
June 27, 2012, 03:07 AM
Thanks to everyone for all the input! And for those curious, my friend who told me to say this lives in Santo Domingo.
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