Breakdown of Mon frère ne se laisse pas manipuler par cet influenceur.
le frère
the brother
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
ce
this (before a noun)
Questions & Answers about Mon frère ne se laisse pas manipuler par cet influenceur.
Why is manipuler in the active infinitive form if the English translation says 'be manipulated'?
The construction se laisser followed by an infinitive literally means 'to let oneself [verb],' but in French it naturally carries a passive meaning: 'to let oneself be [verb]ed.' Even though manipuler is an active infinitive, the reflexive se laisser turns the subject into the receiver of the action.
Why does the negation ne ... pas surround se laisse instead of the infinitive manipuler?
In French, standard negation always surrounds the conjugated verb. Here, the conjugated verb is laisse, and the reflexive pronoun se must stay firmly attached to its left. Therefore, ne se laisse pas is the correct order, negating the act of 'letting' rather than the infinitive.
Why do we use par here to mean 'by'?
Because the se laisser + infinitive construction functions as a passive voice alternative, the person actually doing the manipulating (the agent) is introduced by par. This is exactly how you introduce the agent in a standard passive sentence, like il est manipulé par cet influenceur.
Why is it cet influenceur instead of ce influenceur?