Use Indirect Objects with Dar and Decir
Giving and telling naturally involve another person. Combine dar or decir with le, les, me, or te, then clarify the recipient when context alone is insufficient.
Learning objective
Build sentences with dar and decir that identify a recipient through an indirect object pronoun.
A recipient is the person or group that receives a thing or a message. With dar, meaning to give, and decir, meaning to say or tell, Spanish commonly marks that recipient with an indirect object pronoun: le for one recipient and les for several.
Dar has the present forms doy, das, da, damos, dais, and dan. Doy una copia a Elena becomes Le doy una copia a Elena. The copy is what is given, while Elena receives it. Keeping a Elena can clarify exactly who le represents.
Decir has the present forms digo, dices, dice, decimos, decís, and dicen. Le digo la verdad a Omar means I tell Omar the truth. The message may be a word, fact, time, or instruction; the indirect pronoun identifies who hears or receives it.
Match le or les to the number of recipients, not to the thing or message. Les damos una llave a los huéspedes uses plural les for several guests receiving one key. Le decimos tres cosas a la directora uses singular le because one director receives all three points.
In many everyday sentences, Spanish uses both the indirect pronoun and the named a phrase: Les digo la hora a mis compañeros. This is not careless repetition; the pronoun carries the grammar and the phrase clarifies the recipient. Usage can vary, but omitting the pronoun often sounds unnatural with these patterns.
Examples
Le doy mi número a Paula y ella me llama después.
I give Paula my number, and she calls me later.
The second action shows a natural result of the first.
¿Les dices la dirección a tus amigos?
Will you tell your friends the address?
Les agrees with the multiple friends who receive the information.
Damos agua a las plantas, pero les damos poca en invierno.
We water the plants, but give them only a little in winter.
The connected contrast treats the plants as plural recipients.
La profesora le dice el resultado al estudiante.
The teacher tells the student the result.
Le marks one recipient regardless of that person’s gender.
Common mistake
- Instead of
- Lo doy el libro a Ana y la digo el número de página.
- Try
- Le doy el libro a Ana y le digo el número de página.
Ana receives both the book and the information, so each verb needs the singular indirect pronoun le. Lo and la are direct-object forms and do not identify the recipient here. El libro and el número de página remain the things given or communicated.
Practice
Try it yourself
Correct the two recipient errors in Leo’s reply, then write the complete Spanish sentence. Ana asks what he tells one client and what he gives two technicians. Leo says: La digo a la clienta que la reunión empieza a las nueve y los doy las llaves a los dos técnicos.