Compras y Recados - Shopping and Errands
Lo, La, Los, Las - Direct Object Pronouns
In Module 6 you learned to say quiero la tortilla, compro el pan, tengo el ticket. All fine — but in real Spanish, repeating the noun every time sounds slow and learner-ish. The fix is the same as in English: once you've said the bread once, you switch to it. Spanish has four words for "it / him / her / them" depending on gender and number, and this lesson nails them down. By the end, lo compro, la veo, los tengo will roll off as fast as the verb itself.
Why You Need These
Look at this exchange:
- — ¿Tienes el ticket?
- — Sí, tengo el ticket aquí.
The second sentence works, but no Spaniard would say it that way. The natural reply is:
- — Sí, lo tengo aquí. – Yes, I have it here.
The pronoun lo stands in for el ticket. You've already mentioned it, so you don't need to say it again. Spanish has four of these direct-object pronouns, one for each gender and number combination:
| Pronoun | Replaces | Example |
|---|---|---|
| lo | a masculine singular noun (or "him") | el pan → lo compro |
| la | a feminine singular noun (or "her") | la lista → la tengo |
| los | masculine plural (or mixed-gender plural) | los regalos → los veo |
| las | feminine plural | las gambas → las quiero |
Lo and la double as "him / her" too. La conozco can mean I know it or I know her, depending on context.
Where the Pronoun Goes
The big rule: direct-object pronouns sit right before the conjugated verb, never after.
| Full noun | With pronoun | English |
|---|---|---|
| Compro el pan. | Lo compro. | I buy it. |
| Veo a María. | La veo. | I see her. |
| Tenemos los tickets. | Los tenemos. | We have them. |
| Quiero las gambas. | Las quiero. | I want them. |
| ¿Conoces a Pablo? | ¿Lo conoces? | Do you know him? |
Two more patterns:
- In a negative sentence, no goes before the pronoun: no lo tengo (I don't have it), no la conozco (I don't know her).
- In a question, the pronoun still sits before the verb: ¿lo quieres? (do you want it?), ¿las has visto? Wait — that last one is the perfecto, which we cover in Module 8. For now, stick to simple present tense.
With Infinitives — Two Spots Are Allowed
When you have a verb followed by an infinitive — like voy a comprar, quiero ver, tengo que probar — Spanish lets you put the pronoun in either of two places, and both are correct:
- Lo voy a comprar. OR Voy a comprarlo. – I'm going to buy it.
- La quiero probar. OR Quiero probarla. – I want to try it on.
- Los tengo que llamar. OR Tengo que llamarlos. – I have to call them.
When the pronoun attaches to the end of the infinitive, it joins as one word. No hyphen, no space. Comprarlo, probarla, llamarlos. Pick whichever feels natural — Spaniards switch between both.
With People — The "a" Stays Hidden in the Pronoun
In Module 3 you met the personal a — the little a that goes before a person who's the object of the verb: veo a María, conozco a Pablo. When you replace the person with a pronoun, that a disappears, and all you keep is the pronoun itself:
- Veo a María. → La veo.
- Conozco a Pablo. → Lo conozco.
- Llamamos a los chicos. → Los llamamos.
A Castilian Quirk: Leísmo
In most of Spain, especially Madrid and the centre, you'll hear le used instead of lo when the pronoun refers to a man. So:
- Standard: Veo a Pablo. → Lo veo.
- Madrid: Veo a Pablo. → Le veo.
This is called leísmo, and it's accepted as correct Spanish in Spain when the person is masculine and singular. With objects (books, jumpers, the bill), you stay with lo — no le compro would sound wrong about a jumper.
For now, learn the standard system (lo / la / los / las) — it works everywhere in the Spanish-speaking world. When you hear le for a man in Madrid, you'll know what's happening; when you say lo, you won't be wrong either way.
A small Castilian note on pronunciation: conocer carries the theta on the second c — ko-no-THER. So la conozco comes out la ko-NOTH-ko.
Practice
Words to Remember
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| lo | it / him (m.) |
| la | it / her (f.) |
| los | them (m.) |
| las | them (f.) |
| comprar | to buy |
| vender | to sell |
| ver | to see |
| conocer | to know (person, place) |
| llevar | to take / to wear |
| probar | to try on / to taste |
| llamar | to call |
| el regalo | the gift |
| el ticket | the receipt |
| la lista | the list |
| el precio | the price |
| el descuento | the discount |
Conversation
Looking for the receipt
Ana: ¿Tienes el ticket? Do you have the receipt?
Lucía: Sí, lo tengo aquí. Yes, I have it here.
Ana: Vale, lo necesito para la tienda. OK, I need it for the shop.
Buying gifts
Lucía: ¿Compras los regalos hoy? Are you buying the gifts today?
Ana: Sí, los compro esta tarde. Yes, I'm buying them this afternoon.
Lucía: ¿Quieres la lista? Do you want the list?
Knowing the cashier
Ana: ¿Conoces a la cajera nueva? Do you know the new cashier?
Lucía: Sí, la conozco. Es muy maja. Yes, I know her. She's really nice.
Ana: Yo no la veo nunca. I never see her.
Practice
Recall
Type the Spanish for each English meaning. Leave a row blank if you draw a blank — that counts as a miss.
Practice
Translation Exercise
Translate each English sentence into Spanish.
Cultural Note
Direct-object pronouns are the single biggest jump from "tourist Spanish" to "I live here Spanish". Listen to a real conversation in any Madrid café and you'll hear lo, la, los, las flying past constantly, because Spaniards stop repeating nouns the moment they've been mentioned. Saying quiero el café, tengo el café, bebo el café in three sentences sounds robotic. Lo quiero, lo tengo, lo bebo is normal speech.
The Spain-specific quirk worth knowing is leísmo. In Madrid and the central peninsula, you'll often hear le for "him" instead of lo — le veo, le conozco, le llamo. It's not wrong. The Real Academia Española even accepts it as correct when referring to men. But it's a regional feature, not standard. Latin America never uses it. If you default to lo for everything (men and objects), you sound textbook correct everywhere, including Spain. If you switch to le for men once you've lived in Madrid for a while, you sound local. Both are fine — just don't let leísmo confuse you when you hear it.