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Study in the app →Spanish · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 44
Le doy un regalo I give her a gift
Parties and celebrations. Vocabulary: la fiesta, el regalo, el cumpleaños, celebrar, la tarta, invitar, felicidades, dar, la música, bailar. Key point: when you give or say something TO SOMEONE, that recipient is the INDIRECT object, and is marked with me, te, le, nos, les — before the verb, as in ch. 40, but answering "to whom?": "Le doy un regalo a María" (I give María a gift). Key Spanish detail: it doubles — you put "le" AND "a María" in the same sentence. These are the same forms as "gustar" (ch. 27: "me gusta"). English speakers use the direct pronoun "lo" from ch. 40 for the recipient ("Lo doy un regalo" ✗) or calque the English order "give María a gift" ("doy María un regalo" ✗) → "le doy un regalo a María" ✓. Pronunciation corner: the "c" (ce/ci) and "z" are soft — "s" in America, "th" in Spain; never "k": celebrar, felicidades.
Dialogue
doy María un regalo / le doy un regalo a María
- Mike El sábado es el cumpleaños de María. Doy María un regalo. Saturday is María’s birthday. I give María a gift. (slip: needs "le" + "a" — "le doy un regalo a María")
- Lucía En español se dice "LE doy un regalo A María". Hace falta el "le" y el "a". In Spanish you say "LE doy un regalo A María". You need the "le" and the "a".
- Mike Ah, se repite. ¿Y por qué "le" y no "lo", como el móvil del cap. 40? Ah, it doubles. And why "le" and not "lo", like the phone in ch. 40?
- Lucía "Lo" es la cosa que das (el regalo lo compras). "Le" es la persona a quien se lo das. "Lo" is the thing you give (the gift, you buy it). "Le" is the person you give it to.
- Mike Ya lo entiendo: le doy el regalo a ella, y a sus padres les mando una invitación. Now I get it: I give her the gift, and I send her parents an invitation.
- Lucía ¡Exacto! "Le" para una persona, "les" para varias. ¡Lo has clavado! Exactly! "Le" for one person, "les" for several. You’ve nailed it!
Dialogue
Preparando la fiesta — Getting the party ready
- Lucía Carlos, mañana es el cumpleaños de mamá. ¿Qué le compramos? Carlos, tomorrow is Mum’s birthday. What shall we buy her?
- Carlos Le podemos regalar un libro. Y yo le hago una tarta. We can give her a book. And I’ll make her a cake.
- Lucía Perfecto. Yo les mando un mensaje a los tíos para invitarlos. Perfect. I’ll send the aunts and uncles a message to invite them.
- Carlos ¿Y la música? A mamá le encanta bailar. And the music? Mum loves to dance.
- Lucía Le pongo sus canciones favoritas. Va a ser una fiesta preciosa. I’ll put on her favourite songs for her. It’s going to be a lovely party.
- Carlos Seguro que le va a encantar. ¡Feliz cumpleaños por adelantado, mamá! She’s sure to love it. Happy birthday in advance, Mum!
Vocabulary
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| la fiesta | n.f. | party | |
| el regalo | n.m. | gift, present | |
| el cumpleaños | n.m. | birthday | |
| celebrar | v. | to celebrate | |
| la tarta | n.f. | cake | |
| invitar | v. | to invite | |
| felicidades | interj. | congratulations, happy birthday | |
| dar | v. | to give | |
| la música | n.f. | music | |
| bailar | v. | to dance |
Grammar
Los pronombres de objeto indirecto: le, les Indirect object pronouns: le, les
En el cap. 40 viste el objeto DIRECTO (lo, la): lo que recibe la acción ("compro EL regalo → lo compro"). Ahora el objeto INDIRECTO: la persona A QUIEN das o dices algo. Las formas son: me (a mí), te (a ti), le (a él/ella/usted), nos (a nosotros), les (a ellos/ellas/ustedes). Van delante del verbo, igual que los directos: "Te doy un regalo", "Le escribo a mi abuela", "Les mando una invitación". Lo curioso del español: normalmente REPITE la información — usa "le" Y "a María" a la vez: "Le doy un regalo a María". El "le" no se quita aunque se diga el nombre. ¿Te suenan estas formas? Son EXACTAMENTE las de "gustar" (cap. 27): "me gusta", "le gusta". Verbos típicos: dar, regalar, decir, escribir, comprar, mandar. Error de los angloparlantes: (1) usan el directo "lo" para la persona ("Lo doy un regalo" ✗) o (2) copian el orden inglés "give María a gift" sin "a" y sin "le" ("doy María un regalo" ✗) → "le doy un regalo a María" ✓.
In ch. 40 you saw the DIRECT object (lo, la): what receives the action ("compro EL regalo → lo compro", I buy the gift → I buy it). Now the INDIRECT object: the person TO WHOM you give or say something. The forms are: me (to me), te (to you), le (to him/her/you formal), nos (to us), les (to them/you all). They go before the verb, just like the direct ones: "Te doy un regalo" (I give you a gift), "Le escribo a mi abuela" (I write to my grandmother), "Les mando una invitación" (I send them an invitation). The curious thing about Spanish: it usually REPEATS the information — it uses "le" AND "a María" at once: "Le doy un regalo a María". The "le" is not dropped even if the name is said. Do these forms sound familiar? They are EXACTLY those of "gustar" (ch. 27): "me gusta", "le gusta". Typical verbs: dar, regalar, decir, escribir, comprar, mandar. English speakers' mistake: (1) they use the direct "lo" for the person ("Lo doy un regalo" ✗) or (2) they copy the English order "give María a gift" with no "a" and no "le" ("doy María un regalo" ✗) → "le doy un regalo a María" ✓.
- Le doy un regalo a María por su cumpleaños. I give María a gift for her birthday.
- ¿Les mandaste la invitación a tus amigos? Did you send your friends the invitation?
- Mi abuela me regala dinero, y yo le escribo una carta. My grandmother gives me money, and I write her a letter.
- En la fiesta, el grupo nos toca música y todos bailamos. At the party, the band plays us music and everyone dances.
pronunciation
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