hi, I'm having trouble differenciating between direct object pronouns and indirect object pronouns.
To say: "bears scare me" is that direct object pronoun? So it would be "los osos me asustan"?
To say: "they(bears) scare them" is that still direct obj. pronoun? or is it using both? So would it be "se los asustan"?
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In the examples you give both "me" and "los" are direct objects. Here's a mini lesson:
Direct Objects in Spanish: me, te, lo, la, nos, os, los, las. In English they are translated: me, you, him, it, her, us, you, them, you-all.
Indirect Objects in Spanish: me, te, le, nos, os, les. They are translated with the following words SAID or UNDERSTOOD: to, for, at, from....me, you, him, etc.
1. The forms me, te, nos and os are both direct and indirect object pronouns. They are also reflexive pronouns (self/selves)
Here is an example of "me" as an indirect object:
Me dio el dinero = He gave me the money. (However WHAT did he give? the money is the direct object. TO WHOM - TO me is the indirect object. So, this could be restated to "He gave the money TO me."
Object pronouns usually go in front of the conjugated verb. They can either go in front or be attached to the gerund (ending in -ndo) and/or the infinitive.
If both a direct and in indirect object are used and "le" or "les" is followed by "lo, la, los, las" the "le" or "les" will change to "se." Se lo dio = He give it (book, for example) to him (or to her or to you, formal.)
In your second example: se asustan = that would be reflexive = they scared THEMSELVES.
Feel free to ask any question as it comes up. This may be more than you need at this time!
Sra
Hello! Understanding the difference between direct object pronouns and indirect object pronouns can be tricky, but I'll do my best to explain it to you.
In the sentence "Bears scare me," the pronoun "me" is an indirect object pronoun. The direct object in this sentence is actually missing, as it would be the thing being scared by the bears. So, to say "Bears scare me" in Spanish, you would say "Los osos me asustan," where "me" is the indirect object pronoun.
In the sentence "They scare them," we have both a direct object and an indirect object. The bears are scaring someone, represented by the pronoun "them," and "them" is the direct object. The people being scared are the indirect object, represented by the pronoun "them." In Spanish, you would say "Los osos los asustan," where "los" represents the direct object pronoun "them" and "asustan" means "scare."
It's important to note that the placement of the direct and indirect object pronouns in Spanish can vary depending on the sentence structure. In this case, the direct object pronoun "los" comes before the verb, and the indirect object pronoun "me" comes after the verb. But the word order can change depending on the sentence.