Quick answer
Se lo doy · Me lo dio
Indirect first, direct second, both in front of the verb. And le turns into se before another l-pronoun.
Fixed order: person before thing
| Slot | Pronouns |
|---|---|
| 1. indirect (to whom) | me, te, le → se, nos, os, les → se |
| 2. direct (what) | lo, la, los, las |
English says "gave it to me". Spanish says the person first, every time.
le and les become se
Spanish will not allow two pronouns beginning with l next to each other, so the indirect one changes.
The se here has nothing to do with reflexives. Because it hides who the recipient is, Spanish often adds a él, a ella or the name for clarity.
Where the pair sits
They never split. Either both go before the conjugated verb, or both attach to the infinitive, gerundio or positive command.
Memory trick
Person first, thing second. If the pair would start with two l-words, the first one becomes se.
Typical mistakes
Lo me dio.
Me lo dio.
The indirect pronoun always comes first.
Le lo expliqué.
Se lo expliqué.
Le cannot stand before lo, so it becomes se.
Te voy a lo dar.
Te lo voy a dar.
The two pronouns cannot be separated. Keep them together, either before voy or attached to dar.
Check yourself
¿Las llaves? ___ di a tu hermano.