Le, lo, and la oh my!

[Zach]

I'm having some problems with "le, lo, and la". Like, when to use which...For example, I believe the correct phrase for I will take her to the movies would be, La llevaré al cine, correct? Well, how do you know when to use "la" or "lo" instead of "le"? Also, when is the right time to place (lo, le, or la) before the verb, and when to place it after? If I'm not mistaken, you say diga le to say tell him/her. How do I know where to place the article, such as diga le or le diga?

If you could clear these up, that would be excellent!

Thanks!

[shruti]

Le and Les are indirect object pronouns.
La(s) and Lo(s) are direct object pronouns.

They generally go before the verb, but you can attach them to the end of infinitives and present participles and you must attach them to the end of commands.

I'm just a fourth year Spanish student, though, so anyone else, feel free to add stuff and/or make corrections.

[Tomisimo]

Shruti has summarized it pretty well, now just read up on the difference between direct and indirect objects and you'll be set. Also, when you need to use both a direct and indirect obj pronoun together, the le(s) changes to se.

I'll take it to her...
Se lo voy a llevar. / Se la voy a llevar (depending on the gender of "it")

[Zach]

Ok, I think I got it..thanks much. Although I do have one more question, why does the indirect pronoun go after the verb when used in a command (such as "diga le", or "tell him/her")?

[Tomisimo]

I'm not sure about "why", but all pronouns (direct and indirect) go after the verb when used as a command. Note that the pronoun must be actually attached to the command, and an accent is often necessary. "Dígale".

[Zach]

I'm not sure about "why", but all pronouns (direct and indirect) go after the verb when used as a command. Note that the pronoun must be actually attached to the command, and an accent is often necessary. "Dígale".


Ah..excelente! Thanks for clarifying that.