A direct object tells who or what receives the action of the verb. Devolví el libro. I returned the book. (book is the direct object) Direct object pronouns

To avoid repeating a direct object noun, you can replace it with a direct object pronoun. In English, him, her, and it are examples of direct object pronouns. You have already used the following direct object pronouns in Spanish: Direct object pronouns

Direct object pronouns have the same gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) as the nouns they replace. They come right before the conjugated verb. ¿Devolviste los libros a la biblioteca? No, no los devolví. ¿Ayudaste a tu mamá en casa? Sí, la ayudé. Direct object pronouns

When an infinitive follows a verb, the direct object pronoun can be placed before the conjugated verb or attached to the infinitive. ¿Sacaste el libro sobre Simón Bolívar? No, no lo pude sacar. o: No, no pude sacarlo. Direct object pronouns

In the preterite, the forms of ser are the same as the forms of ir. The context makes the meaning clear. El cantante Jon Secada fue a vivir a Miami, Florida, en The singer Jon Secada went to live in Miami, Florida, in Después fue estudiante en la Universidad de Miami. Later he was a student at the University of Miami. Irregular preterite verbs: ir, ser

Notice that these irregular preterite forms do not have any accents.

Irregular preterite verbs: ir, ser

The preterite forms of tener, estar, and poder follow a pattern similar to that of the verb hacer. Like hacer, these verbs do not have any accent marks in the preterite. Irregular preterite verbs: hacer, tener, estar, poder

Irregular preterite verbs: hacer, tener, estar, poder

Irregular preterite verbs: hacer, tener, estar, poder

The written accent You already know the standard rules for stress and accent in Spanish. When words end in a vowel, n, or s, the stress is on the next-to-last syllable. When words end in a consonant (except n or s), the stress is on the last syllable. Words that do not follow these patterns must have a written accent (called acento ortográfico or tilde). The accent indicates that you should place the stress on this syllable as you pronounce the word.

The written accent Listen to and say these examples: champú olvidó cómodo médico película patín jabón adiós demás césped fútbol lápiz

The written accent ¡Compruébalo! Here are some new words that all require accent marks. Copy the words and, as you hear them pronounced, write the accent mark over the correct vowel. antropologo cajon carcel ejercito fosforo lucho nilon util tipico lider

The written accent Listen to and say the following refrán: