Hi Mariana! I'm a native speaker of American English and a technical writer with university teaching experience. I'm working on my Spanish--reading probably C1/C2 level, but my speaking is somewhere in the Bs. I would be interested in an exchange: I help you with your English, you help me with my Spanish. Message me if you are interested. Martha

Mi dificultad vino de pensar, inicialmente, que era una forma de "ser." Desde el perspectivo de otros verbos en el pretérito + gerundio, parece muy familiar. ¡Gracias a todos!

Bill Holt, thank you that, and especially for the link, which was VERY helpful. I don't understand how or why the "best answer" designation appears, but I would nominate your response for it, if I had the choice. (Though P_G_M pointed in the same direction, i.e. a NAME for the category of pronouns involved.)

Chase, the translation I provided was for the sentence WITHOUT "a nadie." If I wanted to say, "I didn't speak to him about my fears" I believe the "le" would be required. The sentence I cited, "No le hablé de mis temores a nadie," I would translate as "I didn't speak to anyone about my fears" or "I didn't speak about my fears to anyone." If the "le" is necessary, it seems to duplicate or somehow ghost the "a nadie." In English we use "to" to mark the indirect object. Is the indirect object in this full form of the sentence "le" or "a nadie" or somehow both?

¡Muchas gracias!