How to identify the indirect object's direct add-on

The direct and indirect complements of a sentence are basic syntactic functions that specify the function of the verb (the direct object) and to whom the action is directed (indirect object). These are syntactically easy to identify complements but not always to differentiate.

So that students of Spanish language do not fall into the error of confusing them pay attention to this article of .com where we explain what these two complements are so you know how to identify the direct complement of the indirect complement .

Steps to follow:

one

The first thing we need to know is what are each of the supplements separately. In the first place, the direct object of a sentence is a complement of a transitive verb (verbs that can be accompanied by complements) that expresses the thing or person that receives the action of the verb.

To better understand the previous definition, let's give an example. In the phrase "Alberto has done his homework" the verb "hacer" is complemented semantically by the noun phrase "duties." Thus "the duties" is the direct object (CD) of this simple sentence. Here are some other examples:

  1. "Gloria reads many books in her free time . " The CD is "many books", while "Gloria" is the Subject, "reads" the Word and "in his free time" a circumstantial complement of time.
  2. "Esteban always eats everything they serve him . " The CD is "everything that is served" "Esteban" = Subject, "always" = circumstantial complement of time, "eat" = Verb.
  3. "The cat jumped the roof . " The CD is "the roof", "the cat" = subject, "jumped" = verb.
  4. "The woman greeted her neighbor . " In this type of phrases is where we should be more careful. Later we explain this type of CD more thoroughly. Thus, in this sentence the CD is "to your neighbor", "the woman" = Subject and "saluted" = Verb.

The best way to locate the CD of a sentence is to ask the verb WHAT? This question would serve us for the first three previous examples, where the CD is a thing or to be inanimate. When we can replace the CD by LO, LOS, LA or LAS, or by THAT or THOSE THINGS, we are before a CD. Let's see examples:

  • WHAT does Gloria read? = many books . We can also replace "many books" with LOS or THOSE THINGS = Gloria LOS reads in his free time; o Gloria reads THOSE things in her free time.
  • WHAT does Esteban eat? = everything that is served . If we substitute "everything that is served" by LO or ESO the phrase does not change syntactically = Esteban always EAT it; Esteban always eats THAT.
  • WHAT did the cat jump? = the roof . Now we substitute to ensure the CD for LO and ESO = The cat LO jumped; the cat jumped THAT.

But to identify the CD we can also ask the verb WHO, as in our example number 4. We do this when the CD refers to a person and we can replace it with LA, LAS, LO, LOS or, only in masculine singular, the LE is allowed. Let's see the previous example and some more:

  • TO WHOM did the woman greet? = your neighbor . The CD can be replaced by LA = the woman greeted her .

It must also be taken into account that unattached personal pronouns LO, LOS, LA, LAS, ME, TE, SE and OS can function as CD. For example:

  • The police called me yesterday
  • I took it out of the car
  • Cristina invited us to dinner

These pronouns do not always work like CDs, and sometimes they are Indirect Add-ons (CIs). To know if one of these pronouns works as CD in our sentences we have to replace them with the pronouns in the third person and feminine. If in doing this we can put a LA, LAS or LO, LOS is CD, if on the contrary it does not look good and we have to put a LE, it is CI. Observe the example to understand it better:

  • TO SHE LA police called yesterday = CD

Another way to identify the CD is by transforming the active phrase into a passive voice. In doing so the CD has to become the subject of the sentence. Observe:

  • "Many books are read by Gloria in her free time . " "Many books" was the CD of example 1, now, when passing the sentence to passive voice, it has become the Subject of the sentence: "Many books (subject) are (verb) read (participle) by Gloria (agent complement) ) in his free time (circumstantial complement of time).

But be careful! With some verbs (have, have, do ...) the CD does not become the subject when we convert the sentence into a passive voice.

The syntagmas that can be CD of a sentence are the noun phrases (word or groups of words whose nucleus is a noun), when the verb refers to a thing or to be inanimate ("the roof", "many books"); or prepositional phrases (syntagma introduced by a preposition) with preposition A ("to its neighbor") when the verb refers to a person.

Finally, there are verbs that are never accompanied by a CD such as: go, be born, be, be, fit, fall, exist, stay, flourish ...

two

Secondly, it is necessary to know what an indirect complement (CI) is and learn to identify it. The CI is a function of the sentence that indicates who is the addressee of the action of the verb.

To better understand what the CI is according to the previous definition, read the following example carefully. In the sentence "Rocío asked for the books to his friend", the verb "ask" has as a recipient "his friend" (CI). While "the books" works like CD. These are some more examples:

  1. "Julia gave candy to the children . " The CI is "to children", Julia = subject, gave = verb, candy = CD.
  2. "I bought apples for my mother . " In this sentence the CI is "to my mother", since it is the recipient of the action. The omitted subject is "I", bought = verb, "apples" = CD.
  3. "Alicia gave a final review of her duties . " The IQ of the sentence is "to your duties" Alicia = subject, gave = verb, one last review = CD.

    The best way to locate the IQ of a sentence is to ask the verb WHOM? o TO WHOM? This question is useful when the IC is a person or being animated and helps us to identify the IQ of sentences 1 and 2. When, in addition, we can replace the IC with LE and LES, we are before an IC without any doubt. Let's see examples:

    • WHO gave candy Julia? = the children . We can replace "the children" (CI) with LES and the phrase does not change its meaning = Julia LES gave candy.
    • TO WHOM I bought apples? = to my mother . If we substitute the CI ("my mother") for LE the phrase means the same thing = I bought apples .

    But when we want to identify an IQ that is representing an object or thing, the question we must ask ourselves is: WHAT?, Let's see example 3:

    • WHAT did Alicia give a last review? = to your duties.

    Contrary to what happens with the CD, when we convert a written sentence into an active voice into the passive one, the CI does not change and continues to function as CI. See the examples:

    • "The candies (from CD to subject) were given (Verb) to the children (CI) by Julia (agent complement)".
    • "The apples (from CD to subject) were bought (verb) to my mother (CI) by me (agent complement)"

    The syntagmas that can be an IQ in a sentence are always the Prepositional Syntagmas with preposition A, as we have observed in all the previous examples. But the unattached personal pronouns ME, TE, SE, NOS, OS, LE, and LES can also function as CI. There is a trick to recognizing the pronouns ME, TE, SE NOS and OS that function as CI:

    As we did with the CD, let's pass the pronoun to the third person and in feminine. If the result is a pronoun LO, LOS, LA or LAS is not a CI but CD. If what we find is a LE or LES, we are before an IC.

    • "He gave them candy", it can not be "To them LAS gave candy"
    • "I bought her apples, " it can not be "I bought her apples."

    Another feature that identifies the CI is that, when it is replaced by LE or LES and placed before the verb, it must be duplicated by a pronoun. Let's see an example to understand it:

    • "To children (CI) Julia (subject) les (redundant CI) gave (verb) candy (CD)".
    • "To my mother (CI) I (redundant CI) bought (verb) apples (CD)"
    • "Al duties (CI) Alicia (subject) them (redundant CI) gave (verb) a last review (CD)".

    In front of the personal pronouns LO, LOS, LA and LAS that replace the CD, the pronouns LE and LES that refer to the CI are transformed into SE:

    • If we replace in the sentence "Julia gave caramels to the children" the CD (candy) for LOS and the CI (for the children) for LES, the sentence would be like this: "Julia gave it to them".
    • In the phrase "I bought apples to my mother" would be the same: "I bought them."

    3

    As we have said before, the biggest problem with the differentiation of the CD and the CI is when we are not sure whether a prepositional phrase with the preposition A acts as CD or as CI. Observe this phrase:

    • "The doctor operated on the child's appendicitis . " What would you say is "the child"? CD or CI?

    To find out, let's ask ourselves the corresponding questions and carry out the appropriate transformations.

    If we ask the verb, WHO? the answer is "to the child", so it can be both a CD and CI. So let's replace "the child" with LO or LE.

    • "The doctor LE operated on appendicitis", the sentence is correct (remember that the leism is allowed by the RAE when we speak of a singular masculine syntagma).
    • "The doctor LO operated on appendicitis", is also correct.

    If we still have reasonable doubts, we pass the sentence passively to see if "the child" becomes a subject (it would be the case that it acts as a CD):

    • "The child was treated for appendicitis by the doctor." Now we can say that "the child" is a prepositional phrase with preposition A that works as a CD.

    But we could have discovered it also by other methods of substitution. When passing the third person and female complement we get the following:

    • "She was operated on by her doctor for appendicitis", we can not say "She was operated on by the doctor for appendicitis", since this leism is not allowed.

    This is the trick to find out if a prepositional phrase with preposition A is a direct add-on or an indirect add-on.