Leísmo, laísmo and loísmo
Standard Spanish uses lo / la for direct objects and le for indirect objects. Some regions mix them. Knowing the norm helps you write correctly and understand regional speech.
| phenomenon | example | status |
|---|---|---|
| leísmo (le as direct object, male person) | A Juan le vi ayer. | accepted in Spain (singular) |
| leísmo with things or females | El libro le compré. | not accepted |
| laísmo (la as indirect object) | A María la dije la verdad. | not accepted (central Spain, colloquial) |
| loísmo (lo as indirect object) | A Pedro lo dieron un premio. | not accepted, rare |
Standard forms
- A María la vi. A María le dije la verdad.
- A Juan lo vi (or le vi, in Spain). A Juan le di un regalo.
- Usted: le is common as a polite direct object: ¿Le ayudo, señora? (accepted).
Tricky verbs
Some verbs vary: llamar (direct): La llamé. Ayudar (direct): La ayudé. Pegar a alguien (indirect): Le pegó. With emotional verbs like molestar or preocupar, both are possible: Le / La molesta el ruido.
Examples
- A mis padres los visito cada domingo.I visit my parents every Sunday.
- A mi hermana le regalé un libro.I gave my sister a book.
- ¿Has visto a Carlos? — Sí, lo / le vi ayer.Have you seen Carlos? Yes, I saw him yesterday.
- A Lucía la llamé por teléfono.I phoned Lucía.
- A Pedro le di el recado.I gave Pedro the message.
Common mistakes
- ✗ La dije la verdad a ella.✓ Le dije la verdad a ella.Decir takes an indirect object, so le, even for a woman. English “told her” hides the difference.
- ✗ Les veo a las chicas.✓ Las veo a las chicas.Ver takes a direct object: las. English “them” is the same word for direct and indirect objects.
- ✗ Lo di un libro a Juan.✓ Le di un libro a Juan.The person receiving is indirect: le. Lo would stand for the book.
- ✗ La dolió la cabeza a ella.✓ Le dolió la cabeza a ella.Doler takes an indirect object, so le. English “her head hurt” hides it behind “her”.
- ✗ Lo ayudé a mi hermana.✓ La ayudé a mi hermana.The direct-object pronoun agrees in gender with the person. Lo is only masculine.