le

him, her, it (indirect object)

pronoun leh Less Common

Also means

you (formal, indirect object)

Usage Note

Le is the third-person singular indirect object pronoun ('to him/her/it') and also the formal second-person indirect object ('to you'). In Spain, le is widely used as a direct object pronoun for a male person (le vi, 'I saw him') — a usage called leísmo, which is accepted by the Real Academia Española but is not standard in Latin America. Do not confuse le with the French article; it is purely a pronoun in Spanish.

Examples

"Le doy el libro a mi amigo."

Natural Translation

I give the book to my friend.

Literal Translation

To-him I give the book to my friend.

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