Español — Leísmo, laísmo y loísmo
In careful Spanish, unstressed object pronouns are chosen by grammatical case. Three regional deviations — leísmo, laísmo and loísmo — reassign these forms; of them, only leísmo de persona is admitted by the standard.
How it works
Standard Spanish assigns object pronouns by case. The direct object (accusative) takes lo/la/los/las: Vi a Juan → Lo vi; Vi a María → La vi. The indirect object (dative) takes le/les: Le di el libro a Juan. Using le for a masculine singular person as direct object — leísmo de persona (A Juan le vi) — is accepted by the RAE.
Examples
| Phenomenon | Example | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Accusative, masc. | A Juan lo vi ayer. | Standard |
| Accusative, fem. | A María la vi ayer. | Standard |
| Dative (le/les) | A Juan le di el libro. | Standard |
| Leísmo (de persona) | A Juan le vi ayer. | Accepted (masc. person) |
| Laísmo | A María la dije la verdad. | Non-standard |
| Loísmo | A Pedro lo dije la verdad. | Non-standard |
Good to know
Laísmo — using la/las for the indirect object (*A María la dije la verdad) — and loísmo — using lo/los for the indirect object (*A Pedro lo dije la verdad) — are non-standard and are avoided in careful writing. Leísmo is admitted only for masculine singular persons: not for things (*El libro, le compré), nor for the feminine or plural.