Le gusta que le (la) digan
Hello
So I was studying the lyrics of a song and there were two phrases that confused me:
Le gusta que LE digan que es la nina... Le gusta que LA miren cuando ella baila..
Why (le) was not used in the second and why (la) was not used in the first?
2 Answers
Hi Omar! To understand this is important that you understand the difference between the indirect object (IO) and the direct object (DO).
The DO is what or who the verb acts upon. In "I wrote a letter" I is the subject and a letter the DO.
The IO is to whom (or less likely "to what") the action is done for. In "I wrote a letter to my mother" I is the subject, a letter is the DO and my mother is the IO.
This words can be replaced by pronouns (those small words that replaces nouns). Here I list the Spanish pronouns:
DO pronouns: me (me), te (you), lo (him), la (her), nos (us), los/las (them).
IO pronouns: me (me), te (you), le (him/her), nos (us), les (them).
Let's take a look to your sentences.
"No le gusta que le digan que es (divertida)" (I just added a random adjective).
Here what you said is you DO and to whom you said it is you IO.
What you said?: "que es divertida" (DO) To whom?: To her, then you use the IO pronoun "le".
(See that the question "Who you said?" makes no sense)
"No le gusta que la miren"
Who you saw?: her. Then you use the DO pronoun for her, that is "la"
This sentence has no IO.
Let me know if you have further questions, I can send you some material regarding the IO and DO.
Keep in mind that most verbs of speech such as decir, contar and preguntar, will have as DO the content of the speech and as an IO the person they are talking to.
The most simple and works allways LE For indirect object. LO or LA for direct object.
To know what the direct object is ask to the main verb. what?
To know what the indirect object is ask to the main verb. To whom?
Le gusta que LE digan.
To whom pleases? To her LE
LE is referring to the indirect person (she) and the omitted direrect object would be ( what somebody says to her )
Le gusta que LA miren here the direct object would be her. What she likes? She likes somebody see Her La If the sentence would be : Le gusta que LE miren las piernas for example.
Here the indirect object would be she and the diect object would be the legs.
I have started with the most simplier and working options but it is possible to use le as direct object with a male single person, or with the female gender in a special way called "le de cortesía" . I know there would be a lot of persons that will not agree me. So take le or lo or la as i started my post
