Saying who receives the action: ‘lo’ and ‘la’ in object-first sentences��PART 1: OVS (Object-Verb-Subject) order �with an overt subject and object �(e.g. al hombre lo llama la mujer)
Nick Avery and Emma Marsden
Saying who receives the action:�‘lo’ and ‘la’ in object-first sentences
Nick Avery / Emma Marsden
In English, the person (or thing) that ‘receives’ the action (the object) goes after the verb.
In the example, ‘the man calls the woman’, the object ‘woman’ comes after the verb.
In Spanish, there are two ways to say this:
(1) El hombre llama a la mujer.
(2) A la mujer la llama el hombre.
So, in sentences like (2) which start with the object:
¡Ojo!�The words ‘el’ and ‘la’ (‘the’) are different to these.
Note: when the object is a person (or pet) ‘a’ is usually used before the object, too.
Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�
Rachel Hawkes
| Messages |
1 | El hombre mira a la mujer. |
2 | Al hombre lo lleva la mujer en su coche. |
3 | El hombre ve la cámara de seguridad. |
4 | La policía sigue al hombre. |
5 | El coche lo para el tráfico. |
6 | Al hombre lo besa la mujer. |
7 | El hombre llama a alguien. |
8 | La mujer ve a la policía. |
9 | Al hombre lo deja salir la mujer. |
10 | ¡El coche lo destruye la policia! |
Your Spanish agent has just spotted a criminal!
She is following him and reporting back to you in HQ.
Read her messages and decide if the statements are true or false.
| True | False |
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The man looks at the woman.
The man takes the woman in his car.
The man sees the security camera.
The police follow the man.
The car stops the traffic.
The woman kisses the man.
Someone calls the man.
The woman sees the police.
The man lets the woman leave.
The police destroy the car!
leer
Nick Avery / Emma Marsden
Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�
Rachel Hawkes
The criminal’s accomplice escaped. Spanish police are now spying on her.
She has just been spotted with a different person.
What do they say about their actions?
escuchar
| The woman does it | The man does it |
call the other person | | |
see the other person | | |
follow the other person | | |
take the other person in their car | | |
observe the other person | | |
greet the other person | | |
hide the other person | | |
contact the other person | | |
help the other person | | |
look for the other person | | |
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Nick Avery / Emma Marsden
Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�
Rachel Hawkes
Listen again and decide if the statements are true or false.
| True | False |
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The man calls the woman.
The man sees the woman.
The man follows the woman.
The man takes the woman in his car.
The woman watches the man.
The man greets the woman.
The woman hides the man.
The man contacts the woman.
escuchar
The woman helps the man to hide.
The man looks for the woman.
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Nick Avery / Emma Marsden
Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�
Rachel Hawkes
1) _____________________ la cámara de seguridad.
Al criminal lo ve
escribir
Nick Avery / Emma Marsden
Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�
Rachel Hawkes
2) ___________________ la cámara de seguridad.
El criminal ve
escribir
Nick Avery / Emma Marsden
Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�
Rachel Hawkes
3) ______________________ la chica.
Al hombre lo llama
escribir
Nick Avery / Emma Marsden
Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�
Rachel Hawkes
4) ___________________ a la chica.
El hombre llama
escribir
Nick Avery / Emma Marsden
Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�
Rachel Hawkes
5) ___________________ al hombre.
El chico saluda
escribir
Nick Avery / Emma Marsden
Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�
Rachel Hawkes
6) ___________________ el hombre.
Al chico lo saluda
escribir
Nick Avery / Emma Marsden
Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�
Rachel Hawkes
7) ___________________ al perro.
El chico sigue
escribir
Nick Avery / Emma Marsden
Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�
Rachel Hawkes
8) ___________________ el perro.
Al chico lo sigue
escribir
Nick Avery / Emma Marsden
Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�
Rachel Hawkes
9) ___________________ la chica.
Al chico lo lleva
escribir
Nick Avery / Emma Marsden
Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�
Rachel Hawkes
escribir
10) ___________________ a la chica.
El chico lleva
Nick Avery / Emma Marsden
Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�
Rachel Hawkes