Le as the pronoun.
Hi, I have a question as to what the difference between the following two phrases is:
Yo le doy una pelota a mi hermano.
Yo doy una pelota a mi hermano.
Is it necessary to have the pronoun "le" in the first sentence? If so, would you please explain? Thank you so much!
3 Answers
Hi Vu,
"Le doy una pelota a mi hermano" is standard. An indirect object pronoun should be included whenever there is an indirect object, even if the indirect object noun is stated. So, in this sentence you can think of "le" as "to him" and "a mi hermano" as clarifying who "him" is.
There is an interesting discussion about not including the indirect object pronoun here if you want to go a bit deeper into it 
Regardless if it’s homework or not, it is a valid question for someone learning Spanish. Vu is just asking why. Both statements are grammatically correct; therefore, the “why”. I agree, though, that it sounds better to include the indirect object pronoun.
English speakers are taught that this extra "le" is the "redundant" pronoun. - Daniela2041
Indeed, the redundant pronoun is the name, even though without it, the sentence sounds incomplete to a Spanish ear.
What you should however not include is the subject pronoun, Vu.
Doy can only be first person singular, the subject pronoun is not required.
