Pronouns: lo, la, los, las

The direct object pronoun stands in for a noun already mentioned — it answers „whom? what?” and saves you repeating the word. Match it to the gender and number of the noun it REPLACES: el pan → lo, la goma → la, los libros → los, las llaves → las.

The pronoun goes BEFORE the conjugated verb: „la tengo”, „lo compro”. That position is fixed — in negatives too („no lo entiendo”) and in questions. The reflex from languages that put the pronoun after the verb („I have it”) doesn't work here.

With an infinitive or a gerundio in the sentence you have TWO equally correct options: the pronoun before the whole construction („la quiero ver”) or attached to the end of the infinitive / gerundio („quiero verla”). Both are right and mean exactly the same — it's a rule, not an exception. The only forbidden spot is the middle, between the verbs.

In parts of Spain (especially the centre) you'll hear „le” instead of „lo” for male PEOPLE: „Le veo” rather than „Lo veo” (about Juan). It's an accepted regional variant — leísmo — not a mistake; that's the „(le)” in the table above. Things always take „lo”.

Alongside this set there's a separate one: the indirect object pronouns „le / les”, answering „to whom?” („Le doy el libro a Ana”). That's its own topic with its own rules — for now just keep the split: „lo / la / los / las” = whom? what?, „le / les” = to whom?