Spanish Verbs Taking Indirect-Object Pronouns

The difference between a  direct object and an indirect object of a verb is that a direct object is what or whom the verb acts upon, while the indirect object is the beneficiary and/or person who is affected by the verb. For example, in a sentence such as Le darà © el libro (I will give him the book), el libro (the book) is the direct object because its the thing being given, and le (him) is the indirect object because it refers to the person receiving the book. Indirect vs. Direct There are some verbs that use indirect-object pronouns even though native English speakers would probably think of them as using direct-object pronouns. One example would be a translation of the sentence I dont understand him—where him is a direct object—as No le entiendo or No le comprendo where  le  is an indirect-object pronoun. In this case, it is possible to say No lo entiendo or No lo comprendo, but the meaning would be different: I dont understand it. Gustar and Similar Verbs The most common type of verb using an indirect-object pronoun in Spanish—where it might not seem intuitive to English speakers—is with a verb such as gustar (like, please) as in: Le gustaba el libro. The book pleased him/her. This is the literal translation, but the sentence would generally be translated in English as He/she liked the book. Although usage can vary with region and individuals, verbs like gustar are often used with the subject following the verb. Another example might read: A la actriz le sorprendià ³ que hubiera un Starbucks en Espaà ±a. The actress was surprised there was a  Starbucks in Spain. Le isnt translated to English here and in some of the following sentences because in the translation, it is represented by the sentences subject. Spanish Sentence English Translation A los daneses les encantan las salchichas. The Danish love sausages. No le agradà ³ la decisià ³n. The decision didn't pleasehim/her.He/shedidn't like the decision. A los soldados les faltan pelotas de golf. The soldiers lack golf balls. A ella no le interesaba la polà ­tica. Politics didn't interest her. She wasn't interested in politics. A los internautas les preocupan los virus, la privacidad, y el malware. Viruses, privacy, and malware worry Internet users. Verbs of Communication It is common when using verbs of communication—such as hablar (to speak) and decir (to tell)—to use indirect-object pronouns. The logic behind this is that the speaker is communicating something; that something is the direct object, and the person spoken to is the recipient. Examples include: Le hablaron y no sabà ­a nada. They spoke to him, and he/she didnt know anything.Vas a ser madre, le dijeron. Youre going to be a mother, they told her.Voy a telefonearle de inmediato. I am going to call him/her immediately. Other Verbs A dozen or so verbs, several of them involving instruction or understanding, use the indirect object when the object is a person. Spanish Sentence English Translation Les enseà ±aban con un manual donde Tierra del Fuego pertenecà ­a a Chile. They taught them with a book where Tierra del Fuego belonged to Chile. No le creo, Sr. Hernà ¡ndez. I don't believe you, Mrs. Hernandez. ("No lo creo" here means, "I don't understand it.") El primer ministro dice que le inquieta la crisis humanitaria. The prime minister says the humanitarian crisis worries him. Hay veces que no le entiendo por su pronunciacià ³n. There are times I don't understand her because of her pronunciation.  ¿Y si no le obedezco? And if I don't obey him? Usage Depending on Verbs Meaning Some verbs use an indirect object when they have certain meanings but a direct object otherwise: Pegar when it means to hit rather than to stick. For example, A à ©l le pegaron con un bate en la cabeza. (They hit him with a bat in the head.)Recordar when it means to remind rather than to remember. For example, Le recordamos muchas veces. (We remind him often.)Tocar when it means to be someones turn rather than to touch. For example, A Catarina le tocaba. (It was Catarinas turn.)Discutir when it means to answer back rather than to discuss or to debate. For example, El estudiante le discutà ­a de igual a igual. (The student answered him back as one equal to another.)