01 · Who gives you things
Mi mamá me da consejos.
My mom gives me advice.
Me is the indirect object here — the person on the receiving end. It sits right before the verb.
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Give & Tell
Say who you gave it to, told it to, sent it to — smoothly, out loud.
Me, te, le, nos, les answer to or for whom: mi mamá me da consejos, te escribo un mensaje, le digo la verdad. Two things trip learners up. First, Spanish keeps the pronoun even when you name the person — le dije a mi jefe que no puedo ir is the normal sentence, not a redundant one. Second, when le/les meets a direct object pronoun like lo/la, it becomes se: se lo di a Juan, never le lo di. Placement is the usual one — before a conjugated verb, or attached to an infinitive: se lo voy a dar mañana / voy a dárselo mañana.
Below: the pronouns lesson by lesson, the giving-and-telling verbs they power, the le→se rule in action — and how you practise them by talking about real gifts and real messages, not with flashcards or drills.
The warm-up pack
The pronouns that answer 'to whom' — and the exact sentences you'd reach for while giving, telling and sending.
01 · Who gives you things
Mi mamá me da consejos.
My mom gives me advice.
Me is the indirect object here — the person on the receiving end. It sits right before the verb.
02 · Writing to someone
Te escribo un mensaje.
I write you a message.
Te works the same as me, just for the person you're talking to. One syllable instead of naming them.
03 · The ambiguous one
Le digo la verdad.
I tell him/her the truth.
Le covers him, her and usted — context or an added a él / a ella clears it up when it's not obvious.
04 · Teaching a group
El profesor nos explica la lección.
The teacher explains the lesson to us.
Nos — to/for us. Same slot, same rule, just plural.
05 · Sending it to them
Les envío las fotos mañana.
I'll send them the photos tomorrow.
Les — to/for them. That's the full set: me, te, le, nos, les.
06 · Naming the person too
¿Le diste propina al mesero?
Did you give the waiter a tip?
Le stays even though the waiter is named right after — Spanish keeps both. Dropping le is what sounds wrong.
07 · The rule everyone forgets
¿El libro? Se lo di a Juan.
The book? I gave it to Juan.
Le meeting lo turns into se — se lo di, never le lo di. It's a small swap that saves you from a very common slip.
08 · Say it either way
Se lo voy a dar mañana.
I'm going to give it to him/her tomorrow. (Voy a dárselo mañana works just as well.)
With two verbs, the pronoun can go before the first one or attach to the second — both land the same.
09 · What locals actually say
A mi mamá le encanta cocinar.
My mom loves cooking.
This redundant le — naming mamá and using le — isn't a mistake, it's just how the sentence is built in Spanish.
10 · Asking for the favor
¿Me puedes explicar esto?
Can you explain this to me?
The everyday version of me — asking someone to do something for your benefit.
11 · Closing the loop
¿Qué te parece esta idea?
What do you think of this idea?
Te again, now asking for an opinion. Once these five pronouns feel automatic, this kind of question stops being a translation exercise.
FLUENT
Finally, someone to talk to in Spanish.
Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/give-and-tellRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
Watch out
The part no drill site can do
Carla
Your grammar teacher for this pack
No flashcards, nothing to fill in. In the Give & Tell lessons you talk, and Carla keeps the pronouns coming at you from real life: what did you give someone for their last birthday — le di un regalo a mi hermana — and who have you told your news to this week: le dije a mi jefe, les escribí una carta larga. Then she runs the swap with you until it's automatic: you say le di el regalo a mi hermana, she asks about the gift itself, and out comes se lo di — the le→se shift happening in your mouth, not on a worksheet.
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 5 lessons and Give & Tell is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
Ask the sentence a question. To or for whom? — that's the indirect object: le/les. What? — that's the direct object: lo/la/los/las. In le di un regalo a mi hermana, the gift is what and your sister is to whom.
It looks redundant to English speakers, but it's how Spanish works: the pronoun stays even when the person is named — le dije a Juan, le di flores a María. Dropping it is what sounds off.
When le/les would sit next to lo/la/los/las, it changes to se: ¿el libro? se lo di a Juan — never le lo di. If se is ambiguous, add the person: se lo di a ella.
The verbs of giving and communicating: dar, decir, escribir, enviar, explicar, pedir, regalar, contar — le pedí ayuda a mi vecino, ¿me puedes explicar esto?, les envío las fotos mañana.
Before a conjugated verb — te escribo un mensaje — or attached to an infinitive. With a two-verb phrase both spots work: se lo voy a dar mañana or voy a dárselo mañana.