a ellos
/a eʝos/from spelling rulesmasculine, plural
The English word "them" can be translated into Spanish as a ellos, los, las or les.
Meaning: third personal plural pronoun used after a preposition or as the object of a verb (pron)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| a ellos | /a eʝos/ (from spelling rules) | masculine, plural |
| los | /los/ | accusative, masculine |
| las | /las/ | accusative, feminine |
| les | /les/ | accusative, neologism, neuter |
In Spanish, "them" is expressed as a third person plural pronoun. It is used either as the object of a verb or following a preposition.
Which one should you use?
The direct object pronoun los is used for a group of males or a mixed-gender group. The pronoun las is used exclusively for a group of females. The form les is a neuter neologism.
How does it change in a sentence?
Direct object pronouns such as los and las are placed immediately before a conjugated verb. The form los functions as a masculine accusative pronoun, while las is a feminine accusative pronoun. The form a ellos is masculine and plural.
How do you pronounce it?
/a eʝos/
Did you know?
- While los is used for mixed groups, if a group consists of a thousand women and one man, the masculine los is still used to refer to 'them'.
- In some Spanish dialects, especially in Spain, les is used to refer to 'them' even when they are the direct object, a phenomenon known as 'leísmo'.
- Because los and las are derived from the Latin 'ille', they are much more closely related to the English word 'that' than to the English word 'them'.
Examples in context
- No te las di.I didn't give them to you.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use las as a direct object.Tatoeba #10568408 by JSKabylie, translation #13216588 by frpzzd
- Yo los dejo ir.I let them go.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use los as a direct object.Tatoeba #4603208 by Francisco_M, translation #2377419 by CK
- Los va a dañar.This is going to hurt them.Tatoeba #5038566 by don_ramon, translation #3914561 by CH
- Les di el libro.I gave them the book.
- Les canté una canción.I sang them a song.
- Los vi en el parque.I saw them in the park.
- Las invité a la fiesta.I invited them to the party.
- Cogí los libros y los puse en la estantería.I picked up the books and put them on the shelf.
- Vi las películas y las recomendaré a mis amigos.I watched the movies and will recommend them to my friends.
- 1194 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are talking about their friends.
- Elena¿Vas a escribir a ellos?Are you going to write to them?
- DanielSí, les mando un mensaje ahora.Yes, I am sending them a message now.
- ElenaQué bueno, hace tiempo que no hablamos con ellos.That's good, it has been a while since we spoke with them.
- DanielEs verdad, Daniel los extraña mucho.That is true, Daniel misses them a lot.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “them” translations and entries los, las, les, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, ellos, las, les, los, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
