Direct Object Pronoun with a él/a ella
Translating from English to Spanish the sentence:
"I have heard her.", I put:
"(Yo) He oído a ella."
I was told it was correct but that I was 'supposed to' include "la" like this:
"(Yo) La he oído a ella."
Now I'm confused, and I want to make sure if my original translation was really correct or not. Is the "la" gramatically necessary to make my sentence right? If not, how do I decide when to put something like this "la", or when not to, or is this optional in this structure? Thanks so much!
6 Answers
It seems like you are talking about Indirect Object and Direct Object. It seems like when you say "a él/élla" is only emphatic. , Because you can say "La he oído"(DO), "Le he hablado"(IO), "Le he dicho"(ID), "Lo he visto"(DO), "Le he dado algo"(Se lo he dado) (DO and IO).
The sentences "He oído a ella" o "He hablado a ella" are not 100% correct, people will understand what you say, but it would sould a little weird.
So, you have to use the verbs only with the pronouns "La,Le,Lo" and then you will see how it sounds, and if you want to emphasize, then use both, "La" and "a élla", or "Lo" and "a él".
I have to say most of times people use both, and these senteces are more common in my country, in Argentina, Peru, Colombia etc: "Le he dicho a ella.", "Le dije algo a él.", "Lo había visto a él", "Lé he hablado a él", etc.
espero haber ayudado!
(Yo) He oído a ella.
This is a grammatically correct sentence. The indirect object / direct object pronouns are required only when the indirect / direct objects appear before the verb, ie: A ella la he oído.
When they appear after the verb the pronouns are not required, ie: He oído a ella. However, to say La he oído a ella is not grammatically incorrect and it´s more common to say it this way.
The emphasis on the object is a matter of where it appears in the sentence and not so much if there is a pronoun or not. When the object comes before the verb there is more emphasis placed on it, and less when it comes after the verb. But this is a subtle nuance.
When you use the direct object, the "a ella" is probably only used for emphasis because the la indicates that it is "her" already. I suppose there could be an unusual circumstance when the "la" could refer to a female pet or to "her" in which case the "a ella" would clarify that you heard "her" and not "la perra", the female dog or "la gata" the female cat.
I the case of a verb that that takes an indirect object such as decir, the "a ella" or "a él" can be necessary for clarification, not emphasis, because the indirect object pronoun for both her and him is "le".
I told her.
Le dije. (did I tell her or him?)
Le dije a ella. (I told her)
Le dije a él. (I told her)
Le dije a la perra. (I told our pet female dog or use the name of the dog)
And, of course, if there were two or more girls who might have been told:
Le dije a María. (instead of "a ella")
Le dije a Laura.
Hello, cokee!
Yes, I was having the Direct Object dillema. My original question was whether the "la" was really necessary or was it optional. Indeed, you have helped me! Through your answer, I now understand that the "la" was needed, and that the "a ella" at the end, I would use if I wanted to emphasize the "la". That was what I needed to know, and now I do, thanks to you.
I wanted to give an up-vote to your answer but Spanishdict doesn't allow me yet because my "Reputation" is still very low (I just joined today).
¡Muchas gracias por tu ayuda! 
(yo) la he oído (a ella)
That's what and how it is.
Edit para Ken:
I told her.
Le dije? (did I tell her or him?)
Le dije ( a ella.) (I told her)
Le dije (a él.) (I told her)
Le dije (a la perra.) (I told our pet female dog or use the name of the dog)
And, of course, if there were two or more girls who might have been told:
Le dije a María. (instead of "a ella") ??? so you can't be pointing to someone names María?
You need to learn this and apply contexts.
Hi, kenhulzenga!
Thank you so much for answering. Yes, it's clear to me now. I'm touched by how helpful the people in this Q&A are! Thank you!
