Spanish indirect object pronouns

Indirect object pronouns (pronombres de objeto indirecto ) tells you to whom or for whom the action is done.

Example: 

• Dije a José que lo echaba de menos. (I told José that I missed him.): 
• Le dije que lo echaba de menos. (I told him that I missed him.)

Indirect object pronoun forms

Indirect object pronoun forms are the same of the direct object ones, except for the third person-forms le and les.

Examples: 

• Le dije que se quedara. (I told him to stay.)
• El jefe nos pidió puntualidad. (The boss asked us for punctuality.)
• Mi abuela me regaló un par de medias de seda. (My grandmother gave me a pair of silk tights.)

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Use 

Like the direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns refers to something or someone previously mentioned. 

Example: 

Este jersey te queda muy bien. Te lo regalo. (This jumper fits you very well. I will give it to you.)

List of verbs used along with indirect object pronouns

Placement

Like direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns are generally placed before verbs.

Examples: 

• Le dijo que le gustaba la musica española. (He told her that he did not like Spanish music.)
• Me dio el dinero. (He gave me the money.)

However, indirect object pronoun placement depends on the conjugated form of the verb.

   Pay attention to the following cases: 

1. negative and affirmative commands
2. infinitive
3. gerund

1. Placement in commands

With negative commands, the pronoun precedes the verb which refers to the command. 

Example: 

No me pidas eso! (Don't ask me that!)

With affirmative commands, attach the pronoun to the verb which indicates the command. 

Example: 

¡Mándale* un ramo de flores! (Send her a bouquet of flowers!)

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* If the stressed syllable of the verb is the next-to-last one (not counting the pronoun), add the accent mark

2. Placement with infinitive forms

When used with infinitive forms, the pronoun occurs after the infinitive and it is attached to it. 

Example: 

Acabo de darle una mala noticia. (I have just given him a bad news.)

Otherwise, it can be placed before the verb which precedes the infinitive form.

  Example: 

Le acabo de dar una mala noticia. (I have just given him a bad news.)

3. Placement with gerund forms

When used with gerund forms, the pronoun occurs after the verb and it is attached to it. 

Example: 

Estoy envíandote el correo. (I am sending the mail to you.)

Otherwise, it can be placed before the verb which precedes the gerund form.

  Example: 

Te estoy envíando el correo. (I am sending the mail to you.)

Indirect object pronouns with gustar 

When used with an indirect object pronoun, the verb gustar (to like) is always used in the third-person (singular or plural).

Examples: 

• Nos gusta ir a la playa. (We like going to the beach.)
• Me gustan los waffles. (I like waffles.)

Sentence structure

The indirect object pronoun refers to the person who likes something (subject of the sentence in English).

Examples: 

• I like chocolate: Me gusta el chocolate. 
• We like Spanish cities: Nos gustan las ciudades españolas. 

To put the stress on who likes something, a prepositional pronoun may be added before the indirect object pronoun. 

  Examples: 

• A ella le gustan los pantalones blancos. (She likes white trousers.)
• A mí me gusta el helado. (I like ice-cream.)