This post will help you understand what an indirect object is and how to identify it in a sentence.
What is an indirect object in English?
An indirect object is a person that receives the direct object. It is generally a person but can be a thing too. It is important to note that indirect objects can’t be used without having a direct object in the sentence.
I gave my students some chocolates.
I gave what = my students (direct object)
Gave it to whom (who received the direct object) = some chocolates
The indirect object (my students) receives the direct object (some chocolates) in the sentence.
Jenny brings me flowers every day.
It must be clear now that it’s me (Ashish) who is the receiver of the direct object (flowers). Jerry brings flowers for someone. The person who receives them is the indirect object of the verb.
Jenny brings what = flowers (direct object)
Jenny brings flowers for whom (who receives the flowers) = me (indirect object)
More examples:
1. Can you give us some money?
2. My mother reads my younger sister the same story at bedtime.
3. Let me get her something to eat.
4. You promised my father to give him the tickets.
5. I have taught Monu how to communicate effectively.
6. I won’t tell anyone my secrets.
7. I won’t sell them my house. It’s like my baby.
Verbs that take an indirect objects
- Sell
- Buy
- Tell
- Give
- Pass
- Bring
- Buy
- Teach
- Read
- Get
- Sing
- Hand
- Lend
- Send
- Show
- Cook
- Book
How to identify an indirect object?
An indirect object answers the question ‘to whom’ or ‘for whom’. The verb answers either of the questions. Also, note that an indirect object can be used without having a direct object in a sentence.
Examples:
- I will give you my notes.
Give what = my notes (direct object)
Give it to whom = you (indirect object)
- Could you please cook me something spicy.
Cook what = something spicy (direct object)
Cook it for whom = me (indirect object)
- Did you say anything to us?
Said what = anything (direct object)
Said it to whom = us (indirect object)
- I got all of you new shoes.
Got what = new shoes (direct object)
Got them for whom = all of you (indirect object)
Can an indirect object be a prepositional phrase?
An indirect object can be rephrased into a prepositional phrase by changing its position. This prepositional phrase starts with either ‘to’ or ‘for’.
Changing an indirect object into a prepositional phrase is generally done when the indirect is a long phrase or when you want to separate both the objects using a preposition. The preposition (to/for) establishes the relation between the direct and the indirect object.
Examples:
- I will give you all my money.
- I will give all my money to you.
Placing the direct object first and using the preposition after it and before the indirect object makes the relation between both objects clear. The preposition does the job here. It clearly shows who the direct object goes to.
- Could you give my friend this place for a week?
- Could you give this place to my friend for a week?
- She booked me the tickets.
- She booked the tickets for me.
- My father has bought my brother a beautiful watch.
- My father has bought a beautiful watch for my brother.
NOTE: here in sentences where the indirect object is repositioned into a prepositional phrase, what comes after the prepositional phrase is the object of the preposition. But we know it’s actually the indirect object. Now, it’s the object of the preposition, not the object of the verb.
In the last example, my brother is the indirect object of the verb ‘bought’, and in the next sentence, it is the object of the preposition for. We know it’s actually the indirect object, but grammatically, it can’t be called the object of the verb as it’s coming after a preposition.
Some verbs that take the prepositional ‘TO’ and the indirect object
| Pass Give Read Sell | offer write send show | sing teach owe Introduce |
| Subject | verb | direct object | To + Indirect object (prepositional phrase) |
| I | can’t sell | my property | to you. |
| They | offered | a job | to me. |
| we | don’t owe | anything | to this company. |
| Jim | introduced | me | to her parents. |
| He | said | something very rude | to us. |
Introduce and say are one of the few verbs that follow this structure only: subject + verb + direct object + prepositional phrase (to + object). The indirect object with these verbs can’t come before the indirect object.
- I want to say something to you. ✅
- I want to say you something. ❌
- I can’t introduce you to my family. ✅
- I can’t introduce my family you. ❌
Verbs that take the prepositional ‘FOR’ and the indirect object
- Get
- Buy
- Bring
- Purchase
| Subject | verb | direct object | for + Indirect object (prepositional phrase) |
| She | got | some gifts | for the kids. |
| I | will buy | something | for you. |
| Jon | brought | many gifts | for us. |
| My brother | purchased | a car | for my mother. |
What can be an indirect object?
An indirect object can be a word or a phrase.
WORD
- My mother reads me a story.
- Did you give Rahul a bike?
- Let’s get her something to eat.
PHRASE
- Will you sing me and my friends a song?
- They gifted my parents a phone.
- The company willl give a laptop to every employee.
- I gave your bag to the boy who came to my house with you in the morning.
- I made all the boys of the batch a sandwich.
- We have bought gifts for the kids living with Matty in the gurukul.
When it’s a long phrase, we should place the indirect after the direct object, in a prepositional phrase.
If an indirect object is a personal pronoun, it should be an objective pronoun.
| Subjective pronoun | Objective pronoun |
| I | me |
| You | you |
| We | us |
| They | them |
| He | him |
| She | her |
| It | it |
Examples:
- Will you give
hethis bottle? - Will you give him this bottle?
- I got
sheeverything she needed. - I got she everything she needed.
An indirect object is generally a person but can be a thing either.
An indirect object is generally a person that receives the direct object, but it can be a thing.
Examples:
- I will tell you everything.
- I told the court everything I saw that day.
- She got us a great deal.
- She got the company a great deal.
Direct object vs Indirect object
| Basis of difference | Direct object | Indirect object |
| Definition | It is a person or a thing that receives an action directly. | It is a person or a thing that receives an action directly. |
| Identification | It answers the question ‘what’ or ‘whom‘. | It answers the question ‘to whom’ or ‘for whom‘. |
| Dependence | It can come in a sentence without an indirect object. | It can’t come in a sentence without a direct object. |
| Structure | 1. Subject + verb + direct object (without the indirect object) 2. Subject + verb + indirect object + direct object (with the indirect object) | 1. Subject + verb + indirect object + direct object 2. Subject + verb + direct object + to/for + indirect object |
| Actor | It can be a person or a thing. | It is generally a person or a thing acting as a person/entity. |
| Examples | 1. I can help you. (help whom = you) 2. She hit the ball out of the park. (hit what = the ball) 3. You can’t break this wall. (break what = this wall) 4. We love Ashish. (love whom = Ashish) | 1. They brought me a gift. (brought it for whom = me) 2. She told the boys a great story. (told it to whom = the boys) 3. Read us this story. (read it to whom = us) 4. I offered his company a good proposal. (offered it to whom = his company) |
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We will meet in the next post. Till then, keep learning.
What is an indirect object in English grammar?
An indirect object is the person or thing that receives the direct object of a verb. It answers the questions “to whom?” or “for whom?” the action is done.
Example:
She sent me a letter.
→ “Me” is the indirect object (she sent the letter to me).
→ “A letter” is the direct object (the thing sent).
Can a sentence have an indirect object without a direct object?
No. An indirect object must be paired with a direct object. You can’t “give someone” or “send someone” without something being given or sent.
✅ He gave me a book.
❌ He gave me.
Can an indirect object be a thing, or is it always a person?
While indirect objects are usually people, they can be things too—especially when the thing functions as a recipient.
Examples:
I offered the company a proposal.
He gave the library several books.
What is the difference between a direct object and an indirect object?
A direct object receives the action of the verb.
An indirect object receives the direct object.
Example:
She gave her friend (indirect) a gift (direct).
Can an indirect object be turned into a prepositional phrase?
Yes. You can rephrase an indirect object as a prepositional phrase using to or for.
✅ I gave her the keys.
= I gave the keys to her.
✅ She made me a sandwich.
= She made a sandwich for me.
What kinds of verbs can take an indirect object?
Only ditransitive verbs can take indirect objects. These include:
Give, send, tell, bring, show, offer, write, lend, read, get, sell, buy, teach, make, cook, etc.
Should an indirect object always be in objective case?
Yes. When the indirect object is a personal pronoun, it must be in the objective case:
❌ He gave she a call.
✅ He gave her a call.
Can one sentence have both an indirect object and an object of a preposition?
Yes. These are different things.
Example:
He handed me a report on sales performance.
“Me” = indirect object (received the report)
“On sales performance” = prepositional phrase modifying the noun “report”
Can an indirect object come at the end of a sentence?
Yes, if it’s expressed as a prepositional phrase.
✅ She showed the painting to us.
❌ She showed to us the painting.
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Your explanation is very nice,do you have any book ? Please suggest,I would like to buy
Glad you liked the content, Surendar. I do have a book on ‘science behind using tenses in English’. It’s available on the website.