Se #5: the fake se — le lo becomes se lo

Explication

Spanish doesn't allow two object pronouns starting with l in a row, so when the indirect le/les would meet a direct lo/la/los/las, le/les changes to se: le + lo → se lo, les + las → se las. So 'I explained it to him' is se lo expliqué, not *le lo expliqué.

This se is purely phonetic — a disguise for le/les — with nothing reflexive or impersonal about it. The order stays indirect-before-direct, and the pair attaches or moves as a unit: dáselo, quiero dárselo, se la mandé.

Because se here hides le or les (him, her, you-formal, them), it can be ambiguous; clarify the receiver with a él, a ella, a usted, a ellos when context needs it: se lo di a ella.

Exemples

Règles liées

• Se lo, se la: le + lo becomes se lo
• Indirect object pronouns: me, te, le, nos, os, les