Two pronouns at once
Spanish very often replaces both objects at the same time: the indirect one (to whom?) and the direct one (what? / whom?). Instead of Te doy el libro you say Te lo doy.
The indirect object (OI) always comes before the direct one (OD), and both stand right before the conjugated verb. English does the opposite (I give it to you) and adds to. Spanish needs no preposition: Te lo doy is already complete.
The combinations
You already know the single pronouns. The first one says to whom something is given. The second replaces the thing and follows its gender and number: lo (m.), la (f.), los (m. pl.), las (f. pl.). So the pronoun depends on the Spanish noun, never on the English it.
To whom? + what?
| To whom? | + lo | + la | + los | + las |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| to me | me lo | me la | me los | me las |
| to you | te lo | te la | te los | te las |
| to him / her / you (formal) / them | se lo | se la | se los | se las |
| to us | nos lo | nos la | nos los | nos las |
| to you (pl.) | os lo | os la | os los | os las |
Combinations in a sentence
Te lo doy.
I give it to you.
Te la presto.
I'm lending it to you.
Nos lo cuentan.
They tell it to us.
The se rule (le / les → se)
In the third person two pronouns beginning with l- would collide. So le / les becomes se before lo, la, los, las. This se has nothing to do with himself or herself. It is the ordinary le in disguise.
se in a sentence
Se lo he explicado.
I have explained it to him.
Se la doy.
I give it to her.
Se lo voy a contar.
I'm going to tell it to them.
Because se can mean to him, to her, to you (formal) or to them, you add a + person when needed. The same phrase adds emphasis, as in I gave it to HIM, because Spanish pronouns are unstressed. If you name the person, se still stays.
se made precise with a
Se lo doy a Marta.
I give it to Marta.
Se lo digo a usted.
I'm telling it to you.
usted is the formal you
Where does the pair go?
As with a single pronoun, the pair either stands as two separate words before the conjugated verb or is written together with the verb as one word. The order OI before OD stays the same. English object pronouns never move like this.
In front or attached
In front of the conjugated verb
Me lo han dado.
They have given it to me.
No te lo puedo decir.
I can't tell it to you.
Attached to an infinitive or gerundio
With verb + infinitive or gerundio both positions work: Quiero dártelo = Te lo quiero dar. With two attached pronouns the word always carries a written accent.
Quiero dártelo.
I want to give it to you.
Estoy diciéndoselo.
I'm telling it to him right now.
