Definition of Leismo
Leismo consists of replacing the direct object pronoun lo/la/los/las with the indirect object pronoun le/les to mention él/ella or ellos/ellas. That is, it is the use of le/les as a direct object.
Primarily, this occurs when the direct object refers to a male person (le instead of lo).
Examples
Abreviation: Direct Object Pronouns (DOPS).
| SPANISH | ENGLISH | DOPs | LEISMO | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Llamo al chico | I call the boy | Lo llamo | Le llamo | I call him |
| Llamo a la chica | I call the girl | La llamo | Le llamo | I call her |
| Llamo a los chicos | I call the boys | Los llamo | Les llamo | I call them |
| Llamo a las chicas | I call the girls | Las llamo | Les llamo | I call them |
| Vi a tu padre | I saw your father | Lo vi | Le vi | I saw him |
| Vi a tus amigos | I saw your friends | Los vi | Les vi | I saw them |
What Does Real Academia Española Say?
Even though leismo is not grammatically correct, Real Academia Española (RAE) accepts the use of le as direct object of person for singular masculine. This is due to its extended use among educated speakers. However, they don’t accept the use the “plural leismo” or it refers to an object.
Examples
Abreviations: Approved by RAE (A) and rejected by RAE (R).
| SPANISH | ENGLISH | DOPs | LEISMO | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amo a Juan | I love Juan | Lo amo | Le amo (A) | I love him |
| Conozco a los jefes | I know the bosses | Los conozco | Les conozco (R) | I know them |
| Veo el edificio | I see the building | Lo veo | Le veo (R) | I see it |
Where Does It Occur?
Leismo occurs in the center-north-eastern zone of Spain and some parts of South America as it is mentioned at Un análisis microparamétrico by Jordina Nogués Graell.
Final Thoughts
Because this phenomenon is as common in Spain, most people do not have any problem with it. They use it in their everyday language.
Therefore, if you ever plan on traveling to Spain, be ready to recognize these pronouns. And not just that, after a while you will may end up using them.
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