Spanish Direct Object Pronouns & Related Concepts

50 vocabulary flashcards covering direct object pronouns, related grammar points, and essential restaurant, body, and sports terms from the lecture notes.

Direct Object

The noun that directly receives the action of the verb and answers “what?” or “whom?”

Direct Object Pronoun (DOP)

A pronoun that replaces the direct object noun to avoid repetition and must match it in gender and number.

Lo

Masculine singular direct object pronoun meaning “him” or “it.”

La

Feminine singular direct object pronoun meaning “her” or “it.”

Los

Masculine plural direct object pronoun meaning “them.”

Las

Feminine plural direct object pronoun meaning “them.”

Me

First-person singular direct object pronoun meaning “me.”

Te

Second-person singular direct object pronoun meaning “you.”

Nos

First-person plural direct object pronoun meaning “us.”

Os

Second-person plural informal direct object pronoun meaning “you all.”

Personal “a”

The preposition placed before a direct object that is a person or pet; it has no English equivalent.

Placement before conjugated verb

Default position of a direct object pronoun—immediately before the fully conjugated verb.

Placement attached to infinitive

Option to attach the pronoun to the end of an infinitive verb, e.g., comerlo.

Placement attached to gerund

Option to attach the pronoun to the end of a present participle, e.g., estudiándolas.

Redundancy avoidance

Primary purpose of direct object pronouns—to prevent repeating the same noun.

“¿Qué?” Test

Asking “what?” to locate the direct object in a sentence.

“¿A quién?” Test

Asking “whom?” to identify a person or pet functioning as direct object.

Por

Preposition generally expressing cause, duration, exchange, movement through, or means.

Para

Preposition generally expressing purpose, destination, deadline, or recipient.

Preterite Tense

Past tense in Spanish used to describe completed actions at specific times.

Reflexive Verb

Verb whose subject performs and receives the action, marked in Spanish with -se (e.g., levantarse).

Saber

Verb meaning “to know facts or skills.”

Conocer

Verb meaning “to know or be familiar with people, places, or things.”

Infinitive

The base verb form ending in -ar, -er, or -ir in Spanish, like hablar.

Present Participle

Progressive verb form ending in -ando or -iendo, like estudiando.

Masculine Singular Agreement

Pronoun or adjective must be masculine and singular to match the noun it replaces.

Feminine Singular Agreement

Pronoun or adjective must be feminine and singular to match the noun it replaces.

Masculine Plural Agreement

Pronoun or adjective must be masculine and plural to match the noun it replaces.

Feminine Plural Agreement

Pronoun or adjective must be feminine and plural to match the noun it replaces.

Ayudar

Common transitive verb meaning “to help” that often takes a direct object pronoun.

Escuchar

Verb meaning “to listen to,” usually requiring a direct object.

Buscar

Verb meaning “to look for,” uses direct object pronouns and the personal a with people.

Invitar

Verb meaning “to invite,” always acts on a person and therefore uses direct object pronouns.

Ver

Verb meaning “to see,” often used with direct object pronouns.

Visitar

Verb meaning “to visit,” takes a direct object and frequently the personal a.

Llevar

Verb meaning “to take” or “to carry,” can be followed by a direct object pronoun.

Llamar

Verb meaning “to call,” may take a direct object pronoun like “me” or “lo.”

Felicitar

Verb meaning “to congratulate,” uses direct object pronouns to replace the person congratulated.

Encontrar

Verb meaning “to find,” can take a direct object pronoun and the personal a with people.

Creer

Verb meaning “to believe,” takes a direct object pronoun when replacing an idea.

Midterm 1

Exam covering chapters 5–7 with sections on vocabulary, grammar, reading, and writing; includes direct object pronouns.

Spoon – “cuchara”

Utensil used to eat soup.

Fork – “tenedor”

Utensil used to spear or lift food to the mouth.

Bill – “la cuenta”

The statement of what you must pay at a restaurant.

Order – “la orden”

The request you place for food or drink in a restaurant.

Tip – “la propina”

Extra money left for good service.

To have breakfast – “desayunar”

Verb used for eating the first meal of the day.

To order – “ordenar”

Verb meaning to request food or drink in a restaurant.

Body – “el cuerpo”

General vocabulary category including parts like arm and leg.

Basketball – “el baloncesto”

Sport played by two teams aiming to shoot an orange ball through a hoop.