Le pidieron los menús al camarero.
Le los pidieron.
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct sentence is:
“Se los pidieron.”
Explanation:
In Spanish, when two object pronouns (direct and indirect) appear together, specific rules apply:
- Identify the direct and indirect objects:
- Direct object: los menús → Pronoun: “los”
- Indirect object: al camarero (to the waiter) → Pronoun: “le”
- Order of pronouns:
The general structure for double object pronouns is: Indirect object pronoun + Direct object pronoun
Example: Me lo dijo. (He told it to me.) - The “le → se” rule:
When both the indirect and direct object pronouns start with “L” (le, les + lo, la, los, las), the indirect object pronoun “le” or “les” changes to “se” to avoid cacophony (the repetition of similar sounds that make pronunciation difficult). Thus, “Le los pidieron” is incorrect because “le” and “los” appear together. The correct transformation is: “Se los pidieron.” Here, “se” replaces “le” to make the sentence more fluid and easier to pronounce.
Example Sentences:
- Incorrect: Le lo dio.
- Correct: Se lo dio. (He gave it to him/her.)
- Incorrect: Le las compraron.
- Correct: Se las compraron. (They bought them for him/her.)
This rule applies to both singular and plural forms of le/les when they come before lo, la, los, las in a sentence.