Leismo • Definition and Geographical Distribution • ConvoSpanish

This post you will help you understand what a leismo is and recognize it.

In addition, there are plenty of examples with audios to help you better understand the concepts and to practice your listening skills.

CONTENTS

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 Leismo 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.

Before you leave, do you want to practice your conversation skills? Check out our onl i ne conversation Spanish classes.

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