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Is it correct to use "(mucho) gusto en conocerlo" for a formal greeting?

My question is about the "lo", it sounds like the neutral "lo", a bit like the English pronoun "it". Isn't it the case?
I would rather use "conocerle", that seems more logical to me.

I've found that in Spanish forums, so I want to know if it's 100% a mistake, or if it's used in some areas. If it's a mistake, is it very common?

As a bonus, I suppose that both "en" and "de" could be used, isn't it?

Thank you.

Quidam
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  • No. It is correct. The ending (pronoun) implies the subject depending on gender and number: conocerlo (a el/a usted masc.) conocerla (a ella/a usted fem.) conocerle (a el /a ella/a ud more common in Spain than in Latam.) conocerlos (a ellos/a ustedes), etc – DGaleano Dec 26 '19 at 13:47
  • Thank you. Could you turn it into an answer please? That's a question/answer that could be interesting for a lot of people wondering the same. I always though that "lo" would be neutral, I always read that in grammar books. – Quidam Dec 26 '19 at 13:49
  • I'm made a comment to help you solve this quickly but I did not make it an answer because I think this has been answered before. I have not been able to find that answer yet but I guess soon someone will mark this a as a duplicate :-) – DGaleano Dec 26 '19 at 13:52
  • Related question: https://spanish.stackexchange.com/q/670/11102 – DGaleano Dec 26 '19 at 13:58
  • The lo/le thing has always driven me nuts. I think that your instinct to use "le" comes from the idea that "le" is for people and "lo" is for things -- which is an oversimplification. I personally agree with @wimi's answer, but there is another Q-A about this here on the site, where "le" is recommended by a prestigious user. My conclusion: it's a regional thing. In what country would you like to use this phrase, may I ask? – aparente001 Dec 26 '19 at 16:30
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    @aparente001 RAE now officially also accepts the use of le as a direct object when the direct object is a man (RAE's word, meaning "masculine person"). So "Encantado the conocerle" is also fine. But lo is what is originally correct, and what I defend because I am kind of a purist... I will update my answer though. – wimi Dec 26 '19 at 18:25
  • @wimi - Would you care to make an entry for yourself at Quiénes Somos? https://spanish.meta.stackexchange.com/q/2586/9385 I'm just curious, because Diego, who wrote the other answer with the "le," is from Spain. – aparente001 Dec 26 '19 at 21:25
  • @aparente001 done, though I did not add much information there, as I do not want to give too much PII. Yes, I come from an area with leísmo, maybe that is why I learned to go against it... – wimi Dec 28 '19 at 21:25
  • @wimi - Thanks. It's always nice to know about someone's languages and regional influences. // That's so interesting that growing up in a leísmo region actually led you to consciously avoid it. // Are you sure you don't want to briefly mention the regional factor in your answer? – aparente001 Dec 28 '19 at 21:38

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"Conocerlo" is correct because "lo/la" is used for direct objects, while "le" is used for indirect objects. See here for more information. The verb "conocer" is transitive and takes a direct object, so it requires "lo" or "la".

However, the use of le for a direct object when the direct object is a man (masculine person) is so widespread that it has also been accepted by RAE. This means that "Mucho gusto de conocerlo" and "Mucho gusto de conocerle" are both fine if referring to a man, but one must say "Mucho gusto de conocerla" for women.

I would not use "en" in that sentence, I think only "Mucho gusto de conocerlo" is correct. Another option is to say "Mucho gusto" alone.

wimi
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  • I like your explanation of the object pronoun. I'm not so wild about your second paragraph, though. Prepositions can be so squishy. – aparente001 Dec 26 '19 at 16:23
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    @aparente001 which preposition would you use in this case? Honestly, I am used to "Encantado de conocerlo", and no preposition sounds good to me with "Mucho gusto ___ conocerlo", though "de" sounds less bad than "en"... – wimi Dec 26 '19 at 18:31
  • Thanks for adding the "le" variant. Maybe this is a regional thing and you might want to add that. I get soo confused about the whole lo/le issue that you should not blindly follow any suggestion from me about that topic, though. // I'm used to hearing "de" but I have the impression it's okay to say "en." Maybe next week others will start to chime in. – aparente001 Dec 26 '19 at 21:36