Preguntas sobre los pronombres

[ricardo1968]

I am somewhat confused by pronouns. I've read that the Indirect object pronouns are supposed to go before the conjugated verb or attached to a second unconjugated verb or gerund. I've also seen the pronoun come after a conjugated verb.

For example:

does "da me el libro" and "me da el libro" mean the same thing (give me the book)?

Thanks.

Ricardo

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Actually, they don't mean the same thing the way you wrote them:

-Dame (one word) el libro. -> Is the imperative conjugation for "tú".
-Me da el libro. -> Is a statement describing the action that the third person singular (either "usted" or "él/ella") is giving me the book.

But if you say "me das el libro", then you are talking to "tú" again, and it can also mean the same thing as "dame el libro". The sentence is still formally a statement, but sometimes present indicative can be used as a less aggressive form of imperative. It works even better if intonation is that of a question (and ends with a polite formula): "¿Me das el libro (por favor)?"

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by ricardo1968

I am somewhat confused by pronouns. I've read that the Indirect object pronouns are supposed to go before the conjugated verb or attached to an infinitive or present participle or a past participle. I've also seen the pronoun come after a conjugated verb.

You singled out the indirect object pronoun, but all object pronouns and the reflexive pronouns are included. They precede a conjugated verb, but are suffixed as you stated. And they are also suffixed to the imperative, as AngelicaDeAlquezar pointed out.

When they are suffixed, care is taken to preserve the normally-stressed syllable of the verb by adding an accent mark.
Dame (give me) doesn't need an accent mark when the indirect object pronoun is suffixed. But when the direct object pronoun is also added - dámelo (give it to me) - the accent mark is needed.
A polysyllabic verb needs an accent mark if an object pronoun is suffixed. For example:
háblanos (speak to us)
déjalo (leave it)
encuéntramelo (find it for me)


There's never a time when a pronoun comes after a conjugated verb.
A pronoun can be suffixed to a conjugated verb in prose (literary works).

[ricardo1968]

So it sounds like my confusion is because I haven't learned many of the imperative commands yet... Or I have and I just didn't know it.