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Direct Objects, Direct Object Pronouns and The –ing Participle
E. Siler
REVIEW: English Direct Objects
• Direct objects in English and Spanish are NOUN phrases.
• In both languages they occur with transitive verbs, but not with intransitive verbs.
Examples
• It’s important to remember that NOUN phrases can get quite long.
• They can involve a noun, a bunch of adjectives, adverbs and even clauses that modify the noun.
• The cat ate the mouse.
• The cat ate the disgusting mouse.
• The cat ate the revoltingly disgusting mouse that had snuck into our kitchen.
Direct Object Pronouns
• Direct objects can be or can be replaced with direct object pronouns.
• He doesn’t like me.
• He doesn’t like you.
• He doesn’t like the woman who is sitting in the window seat. > her.
ENGLISH Direct Object Pronoun Chart
Person Singular Plural
First Me us
Second You You
Third Him/ her/ it Them
Reflexive Pronouns in English
• Reflexives are another type of direct object pronoun.
• We use them only to reflect back to the subject of the verb.
Person Singular Plural
First Myself ourselves
Second Yourself yourselves
Third Himself/herself/itself
themselves
Use
• I wanted to kill myself.
• He killed himself.
• She killed herself.
• They killed themselves.
• You should kill yourselves!
Spanish Direct Objects
• The ideal situation in Spanish is that the direct object is a noun phrase that comes directly after the verb.
• Unfortunately, such is not always the case.
Human Direct Objects
• In Spanish, if a direct object is a human being, the Spanish generally stick a little “a” in between the verb and the direct object.
Examples
• Ex: La madre alimentaba a su hija.
• The mother was feeding her daughter.
• This is not done with non-human direct objects.
• Ex: La mujer alimentaba su perro.
• The woman was feeding her dog.
THE REASON FOR THIS
• If the subject can pretty much move around the sentence with impunity, then imagine how hard it would be to figure out who did/does what to whom if there were no markers to show which noun phrase is the subject and which the direct object.
Contrast
• Which two sentences mean the same thing?
• Ayudó el hombre a la mujer.
• Ayudó la mujer al hombre.
• Ayudó a la mujer el hombre.
Spanish Direct Object Pronouns
• This is the list of direct object pronouns:
PERSON SINGULAR PLURAL
First Me nos
Second Te / lo - la Los/las
Third Lo – la Los/ las
Placement
• Direct object pronouns go before the first verb in a verb phrase. OR
• If the verb phrase has a non-finite verb (usually an infinitive) at the end, the direct object pronoun can be stuck onto the end.
Examples
• El gato quiere comer el ratón.
• El gato lo quiere comer.
• El gato quiere comerlo.
Se as a direct object
• Se can also sometimes be a pure reflexive pronoun, the equivalent of himself, herself, themselves, and even “yourself” and “yourselves” (when it refers back to “usted” and “ustedes”)
Examples
• Note the use of “sí mismo” in this construction to clarify exactly who the “se” refers to.
• El hombre se mató a sí mismo. (The man killed himself). • La mujer se mató a sí misma. (The woman killed herself).• Los hombres se mataron a sí mismos (The men killed
themselves).• Las mujeres se mataron a sí mismas (The women killed
themselves).• Ustedes se deben matar a sí mismos (You all should kill
yourselves). • Usted se debe matar a sí mismo (You should kill youself).
SE so far
• Thus, “se” can do these three things:
• Make a verb in the third person passive.
• Se terminó el trabajo. (The work was finished.)
• Indicate some intransitive verbs.
• Se murió el hombre. (The man died.)
• Indicate what we traditionally think of as reflexives.
• El hombre se mató. (The man killed himself.)
One More Verb Structure
• Although Spanish doesn’t have a gerund form, it does have an –ing participle form, often called the present participle.
-ing Participles in English
• In English, this structure is found in sentences such as:
• Walking down the street, I saw you.
• He continued onwards, walking slowly.
The –ING Participle in Spanish
• In Spanish, this structure is formed by changing the verb according to the infinitive class.
• The –ar verbs, drop “ar” and add “ando.”
• Caminando por la calle, yo te vi. . . (Walking along the street, I saw you).
-ER/IR Participles
• The –er and –ir verbs, drop the “er” or “ir” and add “iendo.”
• Comiendo con sus amigos, el hombre la vio. (Eating with his friends, the man saw her.)
• If there is a “three vowel stack up” in the participle, the form will be –yendo.
• Creyendo en el dios, el hombre rezó la oración. (Believing in God, the man said the prayer.)
Uses of the -Ing Participle
• The –ing participle in Spanish is used in much the same way as in English --- to indicate one of two actions done by the subject at the same time.
• Caminando por la calle, yo te vi. (I was doing two things: walking and seeing you).
Other Uses
• The –ing participle can also be used after other verbs to create verb phrases.
• One common one is “seguir + ing participle” which means “to keep on doing something.”
• Ex: Yo sigo explicando la gramatica peronadie me entiende. (I keep on explaining grammar but nobody understands me!).
Another Verb Phrase w/Participle
• Another is “ir + ing participle” which means “to do something steadily.” Ellos fueronpreparando las lecciones (They steadily went on preparing the lessons).
Direct Object Pronouns and Participles
• In Spanish a direct object pronoun can be attached to the end of the present participle.
• Yo fui haciéndolo. (I went on doing it steadily).