Direct object pronouns in questions
Where would you place direct object pronouns among questions words (cómo, dónde, etc.)? I want to translate: "I lost my book. Do you know where it is?" For the latter half, would it translate to: "¿Sabes dónde lo está?" or "¿Sabes lo dónde está?" (I feel like it's the second one)
3 Answers
Where would you place direct object pronouns among questions words (cómo, dónde, etc.)? I want to translate: "I lost my book. Do you know where it is?" For the latter half, would it translate to: "¿Sabes dónde lo está?" or "¿Sabes lo dónde está?" (I feel like it's the second one)
Your example does not serve to illustrate your question.
Do you know where it is? "You" is the subject of know, it (the book) is the subject of is. The only direct object is in I lost my book where I is the subject and the book is the direct object. (Perdí mi libro= lo perdí).
"¿Sabes dónde está?" would be correct. "¿Sabes dónde él está?" would be it with a pronoun, with él relating to el libro, but it is incredibly unnatural that way and I would normally avoid it (the subject pronoun) as much as possible when él refers to an object, and would only use it for a person when needed for emphasis:
"¿Sabes dónde están? No sé dondé está él, pero ella está en casa. Do you know where they are? I don't know where he is, but she is at home.
But to the question- the pronoun is immediately before the verb:
"¿Sabes dónde lo puse?" Do you know where I put it? Here you are the subject and the book becomes the pronoun.
¿Sabes dónde está?
No pronoun needed. No direct object.
I always tell my students that there is NO subject pronoun "it." As has been stated, you can use "él" and "ella" (he/she) but they really are not needed.
Bosque has provided a great answer here.
