Direct Object: Lo, La, Los, Las

A direct object is the person or thing that receives the action: I see the film. To avoid repeating it, use a pronoun that matches its gender and number:

• lo: masculine singular (el teléfono → lo)
• la: feminine singular (la llave → la)
• los: masculine or mixed plural (los platos → los)
• las: feminine plural (las manzanas → las)

For people you also use me, te and nos: ¿Me oyes? Sí, te oigo. The pronoun goes before the conjugated verb, after no: No lo encuentro (I can't find it). Lo can also stand for a whole idea: No lo sé (I don't know). For people the standard is lo and la: Lo conozco (I know him). In Spain, le is also accepted for one male person (Le conozco); this is called leísmo.