hacer + Infinitive
Causative Hacer
Use hacer + infinitive to say that the subject causes another person or thing to perform an action.
How It Works
The causative hacer + infinitive is a powerful structure used to express that someone or something (the causer) makes another person or thing (the doer) perform an action. It's equivalent to 'to make someone do something' or 'to have someone do something' in English.
The basic structure is:
Subject (Causer) + hacer (conjugated) + Infinitive + [Object (Doer)]
A key point is determining whether the 'doer' is a direct or indirect object. This affects which pronoun you use.
- Case 1: The infinitive has NO direct object.
In this case, the 'doer' is the direct object of the sentence. You use direct object pronouns (me, te, lo, la, nos, os, los, las).
Example:La noticia me hizo sentir triste.(The news made me feel sad.) -> 'me' is the direct object.
Example:Los hice reír.(I made them laugh.) -> 'los' is the direct object. - Case 2: The infinitive HAS its own direct object.
When the infinitive is followed by its own direct object, the 'doer' becomes the indirect object of the sentence. You must use indirect object pronouns (me, te, le, nos, os, les).
Example:El jefe le hizo escribir el informe.(The boss made him write the report.) -> 'el informe' is the direct object of 'escribir', so 'him' becomes the indirect object 'le'.
Example:Les hice leer el libro a los niños.(I made the children read the book.) -> 'el libro' is the direct object, so 'los niños' is the indirect object 'les'.
This distinction is crucial for correct usage.
Examples (5)
- El payaso hizo reír a los niños.
The clown made the children laugh.
Word by Word: The clown made laugh to the children.
Here, 'reír' has no direct object, so 'los niños' functions as the direct object of 'hizo'.
- Mi chiste la hizo sonreír.
My joke made her smile.
Word by Word: My joke her made smile.
The direct object pronoun 'la' represents the person who smiled.
- El profesor les hizo escribir un ensayo a los estudiantes.
The teacher made the students write an essay.
Word by Word: The teacher to them made write an essay to the students.
Because 'escribir' has its own direct object ('un ensayo'), 'los estudiantes' becomes the indirect object, represented by 'les'.
- Le hicieron limpiar toda la casa.
They made him/her clean the whole house.
Word by Word: To him/her they made clean all the house.
'Toda la casa' is the direct object of 'limpiar', so the person doing the cleaning is the indirect object, represented by 'le'.
- El viento hizo caer las hojas de los árboles.
The wind made the leaves fall from the trees.
Word by Word: The wind made fall the leaves of the trees.
Since the infinitive 'caer' (to fall) doesn't have its own direct object, 'las hojas' (the leaves) functions as the direct object of the causative verb 'hizo'.
Common Mistakes
Using a direct object pronoun for the 'doer' when the infinitive already has its own direct object.
El entrenador lo hizo correr una milla.El entrenador le hizo correr una milla.The action is 'correr una milla' (to run a mile). Since 'una milla' is the direct object of 'correr', the person being made to run must be an indirect object. Therefore, you must use 'le' (for him/her) instead of 'lo' (him).
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn the causative 'hacer' construction, you first need to be comfortable conjugating 'hacer' in various tenses. Additionally, because this pattern involves one person causing another to perform an action, understanding how to use indirect object pronouns and where to place them in relation to infinitives is essential for forming natural sentences.
Related Patterns
- dejar/permitir + InfinitivePermission Verbs
While
Level 4hacer + infinitivemeans to cause or force an action,dejar + infinitivemeans to allow or permit an action. They are both causative but differ in the level of coercion vs. permission. - le/lesIndirect Object Pronouns
Crucial for this pattern. When the infinitive's action has its own direct object (e.g., 'escribir un correo'), the person made to do the action becomes an indirect object and requires
Level 2leorles. - lo/la/los/lasDirect Object Pronouns
Essential for understanding the simpler form of this pattern. When the infinitive's action has no direct object (e.g., 'reír'), the person made to do the action is a direct object and uses
Level 2lo,la,los, orlas. - mandar/ordenar + Infinitive/SubjunctiveCommand Verbs
Level 4Mandaris a stronger verb of command, often meaning 'to order,' whilehaceris a more general causative verb meaning 'to make' or 'to cause.' Both express influence over another's actions. - hice/hiciste/hizo/hicimos/hicieronPreterite of Hacer
This pattern is frequently used in the past tense to describe what someone made another person do. Knowing the preterite forms of
Level 2haceris essential for narrating past causative events.
Words in This Pattern
Practice hacer + Infinitive in Bubblegum
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