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Clitic pronouns: leísmo and doubling

Which pronoun goes where, and whether it doubles. The one domain where the Academy licenses in Spain something Latin America treats as wrong.

Spanish · Grammar · GRM-04

The control text · practical

Buenos días. El día 12 de este mes se me cargó en la cuenta un importe de 89,90 dólares que no reconozco. Imagino que se trata de un error: cancelé ese servicio en mayo y conservo el comprobante. Les agradecería que me abonaran el importe y me confirmaran por escrito que la suscripción quedó cancelada. Si no recibo respuesta antes del viernes, presentaré una reclamación. Quedo a la espera.

Every option below rewrites this text.

Where the two part

Latin American · the base

Lo and la for direct objects, le for indirect, held more strictly than in Spain. Clitic doubling with a preposed object is normal: a Juan lo vi ayer.

Peninsular · the contrast

Leísmo de persona — le vi for a man — is accepted by the Academy for masculine singular persons. Laísmo and loísmo are not, and are regionally marked within Spain.

10 options

GRM-04a

lo and la for direct objects

LatAm

¿Viste el comprobante? — Sí, lo tengo. · ¿La factura? — La conservo.

The tellCase matched to function, with no leísmo.

Gains

Correct in every variety including Spain, which makes it the safe choice in both exam lanes.

Costs

None — and it is why the Latin American system is the better default even for a Peninsular target.

GRM-04b

le for indirect objects

Both

Le agradecería… — Anchor A · Le escribí ayer.

The tellLe where the object is a recipient rather than a thing acted on.

Gains

Anchor A uses it. Universal and unambiguous.

Costs

It does not mark gender, so context has to carry it.

GRM-04c

Leísmo de persona

Peninsular

Le vi ayer. — a man; accepted by the Academy

The tellLe as a direct object for a masculine singular person.

Gains

Genuinely licensed rather than merely tolerated, which is unusual, and it is very common in Spain.

Costs

In Latin America it is heard as an error rather than as Peninsular, so it does not travel.

GRM-04d

Laísmo and loísmo

Peninsular

La dije la verdad · Lo dije la verdad — both non-standard

The tellLa or lo where le belongs.

Gains

On the sheet so that leísmo is not mistaken for a general licence: the Academy accepts one of these three and not the others.

Costs

Non-standard everywhere, and regionally marked inside Spain.

GRM-04e

Clitic doubling with a preposed object

Both

A Juan lo vi ayer. · El importe, lo pagué en mayo.

The tellA fronted object echoed by a clitic. Obligatory, not optional.

Gains

Universal, and it is how Spanish marks topic — the same job Italian does with dislocation.

Costs

Omitting the clitic when the object is fronted is an error rather than a simplification.

GRM-04f

Doubling with a dative

Both

Le escribí al banco. — both the clitic and the phrase

The tellA redundant le alongside a named recipient.

Gains

Standard and expected. Omitting it sounds translated.

Costs

It looks redundant to an English or Italian eye, which is why learners drop it.

GRM-04g

Clitic on the infinitive or gerund

Both

LatAm Lo voy a cancelar.

Peninsular Voy a cancelarlo.

The tellWith a periphrasis the clitic may climb or attach. Both are standard.

Gains

Genuinely free, and you can choose by rhythm.

Costs

Mixing the two in one paragraph looks unsettled — the same cost as the -se/-ra choice.

GRM-04h

Clitic on the imperative

Both

Abónenmelo. · Confírmemelo por escrito.

The tellAttached, and with two clitics the indirect comes first.

Gains

The order rule is the same as Italian's, so it transfers.

Costs

Spanish does not fuse them the way Italian does — there is no glielo here, so the transfer is partial.

GRM-04i

Portuguese transfer

unverified

Brazilian avoids third-person clitics entirely: vi ele, or nothing at all

The tellA null object or a tonic pronoun where Spanish requires a clitic.

Gains

Named because your Brazilian base makes this the likeliest structural error on the sheet: Portuguese lets you drop the object and Spanish does not.

Costs

Vi alone for lo vi is ungrammatical in Spanish, not informal.

GRM-04j

Italian transfer

unverified

Italian fuses clitics (glielo) and Spanish does not

The tellAn attempt to fuse where Spanish keeps them separate.

Gains

Named because the ordering rule transfers and the fusion does not, which is a partial-transfer trap.

Costs

Italian's ne and ci have no Spanish equivalent either, so the systems diverge more than they look.