Le and les are pronouns: they replace a noun (person, animal or thing) used as the indirect object in the sentence (object introduced by the preposition a).
Have a look at these examples:
¿Ella envía un regalo a Miguel? Sí, ella le envía un regalo.Is she sending a present to Miguel? Yes, she is sending him a present.
You also use le or les to replace the formal forms usted and ustedes:
| Masculine / Feminine | |
| Singular | le to it / him / her / you |
| Plural | les to them / you |
The indirect object pronoun is placed in front of the conjugated verb.
ATTENTION:
In Spanish, it's common to use both the indirect object pronoun and the indirect object noun it's replacing in the same sentence, for emphasis:
Here are some other examples where "le/les" refer to things:
See also Using lo, la, los, las = him, her, it, them (direct object pronouns)
Want to make sure your Spanish sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Braimap today »
Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics
Examples and resources
¿Luna escribe a sus amigas? Sí, les escribe.Does Luna write to her friends? Yes, she writes to them.
Puse alcohol a las bebidas. Les puse alcohol.I put some alcohol in the drinks. I put some alcohol in them.
¿Quién prepara la fiesta a Sofía? Nosotros le preparamos la fiesta.Who is preparing the party for Sofía? We are preparing the party for her.
