C2 · Grammar
Leísmo, laísmo, loísmo
Le or lo, la or le: the standard, the deviations heard in Spain and which of them the Academy accepts
Leísmo, laísmo, loísmo
Standard
Direct and indirect object
The direct object (whom? what?) is lo, la, los, las by gender and number. The indirect object (to whom?) is le, les for any gender.
A test: try the passive. Vi a Carmen → Carmen fue vista works, so Carmen is the direct object: la vi. Dije la verdad a Carmen — Carmen can’t be the passive subject, so it is indirect: le dije la verdad.
Two pronouns together: le / les + lo, la, los, las → se lo, se la…: Se lo di, not “le lo di”.
Object pronouns
| masculino | femenino | |
|---|---|---|
| dir. sing. | lo | la |
| dir. pl. | los | las |
| indir. sing. | le | le |
| indir. pl. | les | les |
| indir. + dir. | se lo · se los | se la · se las |
Three rules
Direct: whom? what?
lo · la · los · las
Gender and number match what is replaced: la vi (a Carmen), los compré (los libros).
Indirect: to whom?
le · les
No gender distinction. It is often doubled by the noun: A Carmen le dije…
Le + lo → se lo
se lo · se la · se los · se las
Before lo, la, los, las, le, les turns into se.
Grey areas
Verbs of feeling (preocupar, molestar, sorprender, asustar): when the cause is an event or thing, le is usual: A Ana le molesta el ruido; when a person acts on purpose, lo / la: La molestó a propósito.
Impersonal se and verbs of naming with a complement often take le, and the standard accepts it: A Luis se le considera el mejor; Le llaman el Rubio.
Leísmo
Le instead of lo
Leísmo is using le as a direct object. It is very common in central and northern Spain.
The Academy accepts only one kind: le instead of lo for a male person in the singular: A tu hermano le conozco (= lo conozco). Le with polite usted is also widespread: ¿Le acompaño?
Not accepted: le for things (“el coche le vendí” → lo vendí) or for women (“a Carmen le vi” → la vi). Plural les for los is also discouraged.
What the Academy accepts
| Refers to | le | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| man, singular | A Juan le esperé. | accepted |
| usted | Le saluda atentamente. | widespread |
| men, plural | A tus primos les vi. | discouraged |
| woman | A Carmen le esperé. | mistake |
| thing | El coche le vendí. | mistake |
Standard or leísmo
llamar a Pablo
a man: both are fine
standard
| él | A Pablo lo llamo mañana. |
|---|
leísmo: OK
| él | A Pablo le llamo mañana. |
|---|
ver a Carmen
a woman: only la
standard
| ella | A Carmen la vi en el cine. |
|---|
leísmo: wrong
| ella | A Carmen le vi en el cine. |
|---|
aparcar el coche
a thing: only lo
standard
| el coche | El coche lo aparqué fuera. |
|---|
leísmo: wrong
| el coche | El coche le aparqué fuera. |
|---|
When le is safe
For a man in the singular and for polite usted, le will raise no eyebrows in Spain. For women and things use only la and lo.
Laísmo
La instead of le
Laísmo is la instead of le for a woman as the indirect object: “La dije la verdad” → correct: Le dije la verdad. It is typical of Madrid and Castile but counts as a mistake, especially in writing.
Verbs like gustar, encantar, doler, interesar always take le / les: A mis hijas les encanta el mar.
Standard or laísmo
contar a Lucía
to whom? — to her
standard
| ella | A Lucía le conté el secreto. |
|---|
laísmo: wrong
| ella | A Lucía la conté el secreto. |
|---|
dar a las niñas
to whom? — to them
standard
| ellas | A las niñas les di caramelos. |
|---|
laísmo: wrong
| ellas | A las niñas las di caramelos. |
|---|
gustar
always le / les
standard
| ella | A mi tía le gusta el jazz. |
|---|
laísmo: wrong
| ella | A mi tía la gusta el jazz. |
|---|
The man test
Replace the woman with a man. If you would say le for Pedro (A Pedro le conté el secreto), Lucía needs le as well: A Lucía le conté el secreto.
Verbs with an indirect object
To whom? → le, les
decir · dar · contar · regalar · escribir · preguntar · pegar · gustar · doler · interesar
Loísmo
Lo instead of le
Loísmo is lo instead of le: “A Pedro lo dieron un premio” → Le dieron un premio. It is considered a serious error.
It is rarer than laísmo, found mainly in rural Castilian speech, and sounds uneducated. In the plural it is los for les: “los dije que vinieran” → les dije.
Standard or loísmo
dar a mi hijo
to whom? — to him
standard
| él | A mi hijo le di un beso. |
|---|
loísmo: wrong
| él | A mi hijo lo di un beso. |
|---|
decir a ellos
to whom? — to them
standard
| ellos | Les dije que vinieran pronto. |
|---|
loísmo: wrong
| ellos | Los dije que vinieran pronto. |
|---|
This is not loísmo
Don’t confuse it with the standard: lo for a man as the direct object (A Pedro lo vi) and neuter lo (No lo sé, Lo de ayer) are correct.
The three deviations side by side
| What happens | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|
| leísmo | le por lo · la | partly accepted |
| laísmo | la por le | mistake |
| loísmo | lo por le | serious mistake |
Regions
Two systems
By case (the standard): direct — lo, la, indirect — le. This is how people speak in Andalusia, the Canary Islands and most of Latin America.
By gender and countability: in central and northern Castile, Madrid included, the pronoun is chosen by who or what is meant rather than by its role in the sentence: masculine — le, feminine — la. Hence leísmo and laísmo together, and less often loísmo.
In the Basque Country, and in Paraguay and the Andean areas of Ecuador, contact with local languages means le is used for women too.
Map by region
| Region | System |
|---|---|
| Andalusia, Canaries | by case |
| Latin America | by case |
| Madrid, Castile | by gender |
| Basque Country | le for people |
| Paraguay, Ecuador | le for women too |
One sentence, three regions
objeto directo
whom? what?
South, Americas
| Juan | A Juan lo vi. |
|---|---|
| Carmen | A Carmen la vi. |
| el libro | El libro lo tengo. |
Castilla
| Juan | A Juan le vi. |
|---|---|
| Carmen | A Carmen la vi. |
| el libro | El libro le tengo. |
País Vasco
| Juan | A Juan le vi. |
|---|---|
| Carmen | A Carmen le vi. |
| el libro | El libro lo tengo. |
objeto indirecto
to whom?
South, Americas
| Juan | A Juan le dije la verdad. |
|---|---|
| Carmen | A Carmen le dije la verdad. |
Castilla
| Juan | A Juan le dije la verdad. |
|---|---|
| Carmen | A Carmen la dije la verdad. |
País Vasco
| Juan | A Juan le dije la verdad. |
|---|---|
| Carmen | A Carmen le dije la verdad. |
What a learner should use
Use the case system of the standard: it is understood and accepted everywhere. Le for a man is also fine in Spain; laísmo and loísmo are not, even if you hear them in Madrid every day.
Examples
Standard
- A Marta la conozco desde niña.I’ve known Marta since she was a child.
- A Marta le regalé un libro.I gave Marta a book.
- ¿El libro? Se lo di a Marta.The book? I gave it to Marta.
- A tus padres les escribí una postal desde Roma.I wrote your parents a postcard from Rome.
- ¿Las entradas? Ya las he comprado.The tickets? I’ve already bought them.
- ¿Le has devuelto el dinero a tu hermana? — Sí, ya se lo he devuelto.“Have you paid your sister back?” “Yes, I already have.”
- A los vecinos los invitamos a cenar el sábado.We’ve invited the neighbours to dinner on Saturday.
- A mi jefa le preocupa el nuevo proyecto.My boss is worried about the new project.
- Estas fotos las hice en Asturias.I took these photos in Asturias.
Leísmo: what is accepted
- A Luis lo vi ayer. / A Luis le vi ayer.I saw Luis yesterday (both are accepted).
- El coche lo vendí el año pasado.I sold the car last year.
- ¿Le acompaño a la salida, señor?Shall I see you to the exit, sir?
- A Luis se le considera el mejor cirujano del hospital.Luis is considered the best surgeon in the hospital.
- A mi abuela la llevamos al médico cada martes.We take my grandmother to the doctor every Tuesday.
To whom? — le, les
- A mi madre le escribo cada semana.I write to my mother every week.
- A mis hermanas les duele la cabeza.My sisters have a headache.
- A mi hija le encanta dibujar.My daughter loves drawing.
- A la profesora le pregunté por el examen.I asked the teacher about the exam.
- A mi abuelo le duelen las rodillas.My grandfather’s knees hurt.
- A los alumnos les pedí que apagaran el móvil.I asked the students to switch off their phones.
- A Pablo le di las gracias por su ayuda.I thanked Pablo for his help.
Direct and indirect in one sentence
- A Carmen la saludé, pero no le dije nada del viaje.I said hello to Carmen but didn’t tell her anything about the trip.
- A los niños los recogemos a las cinco y les damos la merienda.We pick the kids up at five and give them a snack.
- Si ves a Lucía, dile que la llamaré mañana.If you see Lucía, tell her I’ll call her tomorrow.