Spanish word

le

Pronunciation

IPA/le/

Meaning

  • pronounhim

Example

Le di un regalo a mi amigo ayer.

I gave him a gift yesterday.

Illustration for le (him)

More examples

Le dije la verdad anoche.

I told him the truth last night.

Core concept

Indirect recipient or beneficiary of an action.

Common phrases

  • le di

    gave him

  • le dije

    told him

  • le pregunté

    asked him

Similar words

les: Indicates indirect recipients or beneficiaries who are plural people (to them).
lo: Marks a masculine singular direct object that receives the action (him/it).
se: Marks reflexive action where the subject is also the object (himself/herself/themselves).
la: Marks a feminine singular direct object that receives the action (her/it).

Definition in Spanish

Se usa de forma átona y en tercera persona para indicar a quién se destina o beneficia una acción (equivale a «a él», «a ella» o «a usted»).

Word origin

From Latin illi in the dative, passing through li in early Romance and settling as le in Spanish to indicate a third-person indirect object.

Usage tips

  • Some dialects of Spain use le as a direct object for masculine people (leísmo), so context or an explicit a + noun helps distinguish 'to him' from direct 'him'.

Other meanings

  • herpronoun
  • youpronoun

Word lists with this word