Best location for direct and indirect object pronouns?

Question

My textbook is pretty nonchalant about where to place direct and indirect object pronouns, either before the conjugated verb or attached to the infinitive (or gerund), if there is one.

But in the real world, is one location more common than the other? Maybe based on context, country, or whatever?

Thanks.

A vote from me for filling out your profile mate . Good luck. - ray76, Mar 10, 2016

Answer 1

Yes. There are three acceptable places to attach the pronouns to the end of the verb: the infinitive, the present participle (not the gerund, Spanish has no gerund) and the imperative.

Here in Baja the usage varies: The imperative - almost always to the point of saying always. The present participle is more personal taste and the infinitive is seldom.

So to answer your question here in Baja the preference seems, to me, to be to put the pronouns up front if you can. The main exception being the imperative.

Thanks. - johnhipskind, Mar 10, 2016

Answer 2

Here we go: I will discuss first of all declarative sentences (including questions) that have only one verb in the sentence, then those that have two verbs coming together.

After that I will discuss affirmative and negative commands. They do differ.

Declarative sentence. one verb.

If you say "I answered it" (the question-that is) "La contesté."

I broke it.(masc. item) "lo quebré"

Declarative sentence two verbs.

I need to study them- (masc.) Necesito estudiarlos. Los necesito estudiar.

I am going to prepare it (fem.) Voy a prepararla. La voy a preparar.

Imperative (command) formal form.

Say it! "Dígalo"

Don't say it! "¡No lo diga!

Keep it! (masc) "¡Guárdelo!

Don't keep it! "¡No lo guarde!

The same principle applies with the present progressive tense.

I am writing it (fem.) Estoy escribiéndola. La estoy escribiendo.

This is proper Spanish any other way will get you a bad grade in my class. :) - Daniela2041, Mar 9, 2016

:) - ian-hill, Mar 9, 2016

Thanks. So of the two-verb variety, neither location is more common? - johnhipskind, Mar 9, 2016

What I was trying to say but Daniela did so much better is that here the two verb and present progreesive varieties the pronoun first is much more common. - gringojrf, Mar 9, 2016

I don't even think about it. Whatever comes to mind first, that's what I use. - Daniela2041, Mar 10, 2016

Answer 3

The Spanish grammar hardly varies from one country to another.Where is this text of your' s, could you post it, please?

Yours - no ' :) - ian-hill, Mar 9, 2016

Panorama Introducción a la lengua española. Any editoon. I use the fourth edition. - Daniela2041, Mar 10, 2016

Answer 4

This is a really good question that I've often wondered about. I started learning on Duolingo and there they always use the IO pronoun DO pronoun Infinitive/Gerundio structure (but of course, positive Imperative+IO pronoun+DO pronoun). Given that DL's approach often seems to be less than natural to natives I assumed (wrongly it would seem) that the Infinitive/Gerundio+IO pronoun+DO pronoun structure would be more common with native speakers and set about using it whenever I could :(

That said I recently read Harry Potter in Spanish and the author seemed to prefer the Gerundio+IO pronoun+DO pronoun structure there. Is there any written vs spoken or regional variation on which structure is preferred?