Introduction

The Spanish language has different grammatical elements, such as the subject, the verb and complements. In this article, we will focus on two types of complements that can cause confusion in their use: the direct object and the indirect object.

What is the direct object?

The direct object is the term of the sentence that directly receives the action of the verb. This plugin usually answers the question what? or to whom?

Example:

The teacher corrected the exam.

In this example, "the exam" is the direct object of the sentence, since it directly receives the action of the verb "corrected."

What is the indirect object?

The indirect object is the term of the sentence that does not directly receive the action of the verb, but is related to the direct object. This plugin usually answers the question: to whom? or for whom?

Example:

The teacher gave the notesto the students.

In this example, "the students" is the indirect object, since it indicates who was given the direct object (the notes).

How to differentiate between direct and indirect object?

The main difference between the direct object and the indirect object is that the first directly receives the action of the verb, while the second does not receive it directly, but is related to the direct object.

Another way to differentiate them is by replacing the personal pronouns "lo" and "la" for the direct object, and "le" and "les" for the indirect object.

Example:

The teacher corrected the exam. (What did she correct?) She corrected him.

The teacher gave the notesto the students. (Who did he give the notes to?) He gave them the notes.

Conclusions

In conclusion, it is important to know the difference between supplements direct and indirect to use them appropriately in the construction of sentences in Spanish. The direct object directly receives the action of the verb, while the indirect object is related to the direct object. Both complements can be replaced by personal pronouns to facilitate their identification.

References

• Royal Spanish Academy. (2010). New essential dictionary of the Spanish language. Espasa.
• Valdés de Álzaga, I. (1999). Didactic grammar of Spanish. Copyist Editions.

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