VERBS

AND OBJECTS
SUBJECT I you he she it we you they
OBJECT me you him her it us you them

1. VERBS FOLLOWED BY ONE OBJECT

I know Tom. à I know him.

Do you like this book? à Do you like it?

John is watching Game of Thrones. à He is watching it.

Mary knows John and Simon. à She knows them.
The shark has seen the scuba divers. à It has seen them.

We saw Mrs Smith. à We saw her.

You love that actress. à You love her.

The scuba divers saw the shark. à They saw it.

2. VERBS FOLLOWED BY TWO OBJECTS

Mark gave John the keys. Mark gave the keys to John.
I.O.
Mark gave him the keys. Mark gave the keys to him.

Mark gave John the keys. Mark gave the keys to John.
D.O.
— Mark gave them to John.

Mark gave John the keys. Mark gave the keys to John.
Both objects
— Mark gave them to him.

à The D.O. as a pronoun is always placed before the I.O.

I.O. with to (v. + s.b. s.th. = v. + s.th. to s.b.) I.O. with for (v. + s.b. s.th. = v. + s.th. for s.b.)
give post send tell sing book keep save bring order
lend owe show write award buy catch find choose peel
offer read promise teach throw get make pay build cook
pass sell grant bake pour
ONLY I.O + D.O.
allow s.b. s.th. forgive s.b. s.th. refuse s.b. s.th. permit s.b. s.th.
ask s.b. s.th. cost s.b. s.th. deny s.b. s.th. envy s.b. s.th.
ONLY D.O. + I.O.
explain s.th. to s.b. describe s.th. to s.b. suggest s.th. to s.b.
explain TO s.b. how… describe TO s.b. what… suggest TO s.b. how…

PRACTICE 1: Translate the following sentences into English.

1. María vio un perro.

2. Bruno ha visto a Antonio.

3. ¿A Ana le gusta Fran? ¡Sí, le gusta!

4. A Pedro le encanta el chocolate. ¡Le encanta!

5. ¿Tus padres han visitado Nueva York? Sí, la visitaron el año pasado.

6. (Esta postal) Me la envió mi amiga desde San Francisco.

7. (A ella) Le debes 50 euros.

8. (El cuento) Me lo leyó ayer por la noche.

9. (Estas gafas) Te las compraste la semana pasada.

10. Ella nos lo prometió.

11. Le pregunté a Sergio su dirección.

PRACTICE 2: Replace the underlined words with a pronoun.

1. The manager offered the best worker the promotion.

2. John owes Ann €50.

3. Mary saved Dave the seat.

4. Tom has ordered the meal from the waiter.

5. The teacher explained the new lesson to the students.

6. The police denied the prisoner his rights.

7. My friends got me the concert ticket.

8. Paul read his classmates the poem.

9. The waiter suggested this hotel to tourists.

10. The judge asked the defendant the following questions.

11. The local guide described the monuments to the visitors.