Mi hermana se atrevió a cantar en la fiesta y todos la aplaudieron.

my

Breakdown of Mi hermana se atrevió a cantar en la fiesta y todos la aplaudieron.

• cantar: to sing
• la fiesta: the party
• y: and
• la hermana: the sister
• todos: everyone
• en: at
• atreverse: to dare
• la: her
• aplaudir: to applaud

Questions & Answers about Mi hermana se atrevió a cantar en la fiesta y todos la aplaudieron.

Why is the word se used before atrevió?

In Spanish, the verb atreverse is pronominal, so it is usually used with the reflexive pronoun se. The phrase se atrevió a + infinitive means “she dared to do something.” While reflexive pronouns often suggest that the action affects the subject itself, with verbs like atreverse, it more so conveys the idea of having the courage to take a risk.

Why do we say atrevió a cantar instead of atrevió cantar?

Many Spanish verbs that mean “to decide to do something” or “to dare to do something” require the preposition a before another verb in the infinitive. In this case, atreverse a always needs a before cantar.

Why is cantar in the infinitive form?

After the preposition a, verbs generally appear in the infinitive in Spanish. When you say se atrevió a, whatever follows must be the infinitive. Hence, cantar is not conjugated.

What is the function of la in todos la aplaudieron?

La is a direct object pronoun that replaces mi hermana. It agrees in gender and number with the noun it replaces (feminine and singular). Therefore, todos la aplaudieron means “they all applauded her.”

Can we say todos le aplaudieron instead?

Generally, aplaudir takes a direct object in Spanish, so la is used. Although some regional usage varies, most grammars recommend the direct object pronoun la for aplaudir, since the person receiving the applause is viewed as the direct object.