Direct and Indirect Complement in Spanish

Direct and indirect complements are important parts of Spanish sentences, as they help us better understand who or what receives the action of a verb. Learning to identify and use them correctly gives our sentences more clarity.

In this article, we are going to explore what the direct and indirect complement are, their types and how to use them with simple examples. Let's get started!

What is the direct complement?

The direct complement is the part of speech that directly receives the action of the verb. To identify it, we can ask “what?” or “to whom?” after the verb. This complement should answer one of those questions, helping us to better understand the meaning of the action.

Structure:

Subject + Verb + Direct Complement.

Examples of direct complements in Spanish:

• Leo un libro. (I read a book) – What do I read? A book.
• Ellos cocinan una pizza. (They cook a pizza) – What do they cook? A pizza.
• Invité a mis amigos. (I invited my friends) – Whom did I invite? My friends.
• Nosotros compramos frutas. (We bought fruits) – What did we buy? Fruits.
• Visité la ciudad. (I visited the city) – What did I visit? The city.

In these examples, you can see how the direct object completes the sense of the verb, explaining about whom or what the action is performed.

Types of direct object

The direct complement can be of three types: noun, pronoun or subordinate clause. Let's see how each one works:

Noun

When the direct complement is a noun (a specific person, thing or place). Examples of nouns as direct complements:

• Limpió la casa. (He/She cleaned the house.)
• Rodolfo lee el periódico. (Rodolfo reads the newspaper.)
• Ella cuida a su hermana. (She takes care of her sister.)
• Nosotros miramos la pintura. (We look at the painting.)
• Compro flores. (I buy flowers.)

Pronouns

We use pronouns as direct complements to replace the direct object noun (lo, la, los, las). Examples of pronouns as direct complements:

• Lo escribo. (I write it.) (the report)
• La escucho. (I listen to it.) (the song)
• Los llamamos. (We call them.) (the friends)
• Las vendí. (I sold them.) (the candles)
• Los veo. (I see them.) (them)

Subordinate clause

Sometimes, the direct complement can be a complete sentence that depends on another. Examples of subordinate sentences as direct complements:

• Sabemos que vendrás a la fiesta. (We know that you will come to the party.)
• Me alegra que hayas pasado el examen. (I’m glad that you passed the exam.)
• Ella dijo que no podía asistir. (She said that she could not attend.)
• Creemos que el proyecto será un éxito. (We believe that the project will be a success.)
• El profesor explicó que el tema es complicado. (The teacher explained that the topic is complicated.)

Types of indirect object

The indirect object can also be of three types: noun, pronoun or subordinate clause. We will now show you how they work.

Noun

The indirect complement can be a noun when the person or thing benefited is mentioned directly. Examples of nouns as indirect complements:

• Doy el dinero al banco. (I give the money to the bank.)
• Ella envía flores a su madre. (She sends flowers to her mother.)
• Regalo un libro a mi amigo. (I gift a book to my friend.)
• Explicamos la lección a los estudiantes. (We explain the lesson to the students.)
• Le dije la verdad al profesor. (I told the truth to the teacher.)

Pronoun

Pronouns as indirect complements replace the addressee (le, les). Examples of pronouns as indirect complements:

• Te traje un café. (I brought you a coffee.
• Nos enviaron una invitación. (They sent us an invitation.)
• Les mandé un correo. (I sent them an email.) 
• Me contaron un secreto. (They told me a secret.) 
• Le compré un suéter. (I bought him/her a sweater.)

Subordinate clause

In some cases, the indirect object can be a sentence that complements the information. Examples of subordinate sentences as indirect complements:

• Le dije a mi abuelo que vendría temprano. (I told my grandfather that I would come early.)
• Les expliqué a mis amigos cómo funciona. (I explained to my friends how it works.)
• Le dijimos al profesor que estudiamos juntos. (We told the teacher that we studied together.)
• Les demostró a sus padres que estaba listo. (He showed his parents that he was ready.)
• Aseguró a sus hijos que todo estaba bien. (He assured his children that everything was fine.)

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Differences between the direct complement and the indirect complement

Let's review the main differences between the direct complement and the indirect complement so that you can easily identify them:

• Direct Object: Answers the questions "what?" or "whom?" after the verb, showing about what or whom the action directly falls.
• Indirect Object: Answers the questions "to whom?" or "for whom?" indicating who receives the action indirectly.

Examples of direct object vs. indirect object

• Direct Object: Busco un regalo. (I’m looking for a gift.)
  Indirect Object: Busco un regalo para mi hermano. (I’m looking for a gift for my brother.)
• Direct Object: Les dibujo un mapa. (I draw a map for them.)
  Indirect Object: Les dibujo un mapa a los turistas. (I draw a map for the tourists.)
• Direct Object: Pinto la pared. (I paint the wall.)
  Indirect Object: Pinto la pared de mi vecino. (I paint my neighbor’s wall.)

Tips to differentiate direct and indirect objects

• If the action falls directly on a thing or person, it is a direct object.
• If someone benefits or receives the action indirectly, it is an indirect object.
• The pronouns for the direct object are: lo, la, los, las.
• The pronouns for the indirect object are: le and les.

Direct Object vs. Indirect Object

Common mistakes when using direct and indirect complements

Here you will see some common mistakes regarding complements and how to correct them:

Pronoun confusion

This error occurs when you use a pronoun that does not correspond to the function it plays in the sentence. This can lead to sentences that make no sense or are confusing.

• Incorrect: Le vi ayer. (I saw him yesterday.)
• Correct: Lo vi ayer. (I saw it yesterday.) (lo, is the correct direct object, imagining that we are referring to a balloon).

Omitting the indirect object

Sometimes, we may forget to include the indirect object, which is essential to understand to whom the action is directed. Without this complement, the sentence can be incomplete or lose clarity, since we do not know who is receiving the action.

• Incorrect: Di el regalo. (I gave the gift.)
• Correct: Le di el regalo a mi sobrina. (I gave the gift to my niece.) (this gives us context about who received the gift).

Error in the use of “le” and “les”

This error occurs when not distinguishing between the use of “le” (for one person) and “les” (for several people). Using the wrong pronoun can completely change the meaning of the sentence and cause confusion about who is being referred to.

• Incorrect: Le conté la historia a mis amigos. (I told him the story, to my friends.)
• Correct: Les conté la historia a mis amigos. (I told them the story, to my friends.)

Unnecessary use of “a”

This error occurs when “a” is added before the pronoun in situations where it is not necessary. This can make the sentence sound more complicated than it really is and can make it less fluent. Simplicity of expression is key to good communication.

• Incorrect: "Le expliqué a él sobre la tarea." (I explained to him about the homework.)
• Correct: "Le expliqué la tarea." (I explained the homework to him.)

Summary

Direct and indirect objects are essential for expressing who receives or benefits from the action within our sentences in Spanish.

Knowing how to identify direct or indirect objects will help you build more precise and clear sentences. With some practice through the Promova app and paying attention to key questions (what?, to whom?, for whom?), you will be able to use them correctly without problems and improve your Spanish in no time.