“Leísmo” in Spanish refers to the use of the pronounNo definition set for pronounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. “le(s)” instead of the pronoun ”lo(s).” Along your Spanish learning journey, you may have noticed that Spanish has some differences depending on the regions in which it’s spoken. For instance, it’s easy to spot speakers from some parts of north central and central Spain (including Madrid) since they use the pronouns le and les instead of lo and los, respectively, when referring to males. In this post, we’ll discuss this feature, called leísmo, and how those who speak this way are called leístas.
For instance, leístas would say things like ¿Juan? No le conozco ("Juan? I don't know him"), whereas non-leístas prefer ¿Juan? No lo conozco.
Even though leísmo happens mostly in parts of Spain, it also occurs in some Latin American countries (Paraguay and Ecuador). Because leísmo is a common feature in specific parts of the Spanish-speaking world, it’s useful to learn about it so you can recognize it when you hear it. Would you have to worry about speaking using leísmo? The answer is no unless you move to an area where leísmo is the norm. But even if you move to, say, Madrid, you won't have to be a leísta to blend in.
Table of Contents
Let's look at how leístas and non-leístas use lo(s) and le(s). Ready?
How do non-‘leístas’ use ‘lo’ and ‘los’?
As you have probably studied, it’s standard that in all Spanish-speaking countries the pronouns lo and los are used to substitute a direct object. A direct object is the person/thing that the verb acts upon (see more information on Spanish direct object pronouns here). For instance, consider this short dialogue:
– ¿Dónde tienes el coche?
– Lo tengo en el garage.
– Where do you have your car?
– I have it in the garage.
The highlighted pronoun lo refers to the direct object, el coche. The pronoun matches the direct object in genderNo definition set for genderLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (they are both masculine) and numberNo definition set for numberLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (they are both singular). In this case, the direct object is a thing (“a car”). The pronoun lo can also be used to refer to people as direct objects. For instance:
– ¿Has visto a Juan?
– Sí, lo vi salir de la oficina a las 11.
– Have you seen Juan?
– Yes, I saw him leave the office at 11.
Important
When introducing a human direct object (that is also specific), the preposition a is necessary. Let’s take a look at the following pair of examples:
Voy a visitar a María.
I’m going to visit María.
Voy a visitar Granada.
I’m going to visit Granada.
Both direct objects are underlined. But how come the first direct object has a in front of it and the second example does not? The answer is that the first direct object is a person (María), whereas the second direct object is not a person (Granada is a city in Southern Spain), and this is called “personal a.”
You can find more information about the Spanish personal a in this post.
Once again, the direct object a Juan, a masculine singular noun referring to a male, is replaced by the corresponding masculine singular pronoun lo. The same applies to the masculine plural pronoun los. Consider the following examples:
– ¿Dónde tienes el coche y la bicicleta?
– Los tengo en el garage.
– Where do you have your car and your bicycle?
– I have them in the garage.
– ¿Has visto a Juan y a Pedro?
– Sí, los vi salir de la oficina a las 11.
– Have you seen Juan and Pedro?
– Yes, I saw them leave the office at 11.
Notice how the pronoun los is used to refer to objects composed of all masculine objects, people (Juan y Pedro), or mixed-gender objects (el coche y la bicicleta — the former being masculine and the latter being feminine).
What makes ‘leístas’ special?
Leístas use the pronouns le and les instead of lo and los respectively, but only for human direct objects. Therefore, the previous examples would look like this when spoken by a leísta:
– ¿Has visto a Juan?
– Sí, lole vi salir de la oficina a las 11.
Lo is replaced by le since the direct object — Juan — is a person.
– Have you seen Juan?
– Yes, I saw him leave the office at 11.
– ¿Has visto a Juan y a Pedro?
– Sí, losles vi salir de la oficina a las 11.
Los is replaced by les since the direct object is composed of two people — Juan and Pedro.
– Have you seen Juan and Pedro?
– Yes, I saw them leave the office at 11.
– ¿Dónde tienes el coche?
– Lo tengo en el garage.
(Leísmo does not apply since the object is not a person — el coche.)
– Where do you have your car?
– I have it in the garage.
– ¿Dónde tienes el coche y la bicicleta?
– Los tengo en el garage.
(Leísmo does not apply since the object is not a person — y la bicicleta.)
– Where do you have your car and your bicycle?
– I have them in the garage.
Important
Some leístas use le and les for non-human direct objects as well. For instance, the following examples, where non-human direct objects (el coche and el coche y la bicicleta) are substituted by le and les, would be acceptable:
– ¿Dónde tienes el coche?
– Lo Le tengo en el garage.
– Where do you have your car?
– I have it in the garage.
– ¿Dónde tienes el coche y la bicicleta?
– Los Les tengo en el garage.
– Where do you have your car and your bicycle?
– I have them in the garage.
This use of leísmo for non-human objects is considered non-standard by the Spanish Language Academy (RAE), and, thus, its use is discouraged.
Important
Some leístas, especially those in north-western Spain, also use le and les for human feminine direct objects. For instance, the following example, where a feminine human direct object (María) is substituted by le, would be acceptable:
– ¿Has visto a María?
– LaLe he visto en el súper.
– Have you seen María?
– I saw her at the grocery store.
This use of leísmo is also considered non-standard and, thus, its use is discouraged.
What are ‘loísmo’ and ‘laísmo’?
Some leístas are also laístas and loístas. Laístas speak using laísmo, and loístas speak using loísmo. Knowing that leísmo is the substitution of lo(s) with le(s), can you guess what laísmo and loísmo would be? Right! Laístas and loístas do the opposite trick: they use la(s) and lo(s), respectively, instead of le(s) for female and male indirect objectsNo definition set for indirect objectsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (that refer to people).
As you may have previously learned, it’s standard in Spanish for the pronouns le and les to substitute both masculine and feminine indirect objects. The indirect object of a sentence is the recipient of the direct object. For instance:
Le mandé un SMS.
I sent her/him an SMS.
In the previous sentence, le could refer to a female or a male. How do we know whether le refers to a male or a female? We can optionally specify who exactly le refers to using a phrase introduced by a:
Le mandé un SMS a María.
I sent María an SMS.
Le mandé un SMS a Juan.
I sent Juan an SMS.
The previous sentences would look like this as uttered by a laísta or loísta:
Laísta → La mandé un SMS (a María).
Loísta → Lo mandé un SMS (a Juan).
Just like the use of leísmo for non-human objects, laísmo and loísmo are considered non-standard and, thus, their use is discouraged.
Summary
Speakers from Spain and some Latin American countries use le and les to replace the direct object pronouns lo and los respectively. Most leístas only make the substitution in cases where the direct object is referring to people. However, although its use is discouraged, some leístas use le and les for both human and non-human objects. Some leístas are also laístas and loístas, in that they substitute female and male indirect objects with la(s) and lo(s) respectively. Laísmo and loísmo are both discouraged as well. Here’s a summary chart:
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