Breakdown of Es muy peligroso; no les entregues el maletín.
ser
to be
no
no, not
muy
very
peligroso
dangerous
les
to them / to you all
entregar
to hand over, to deliver
el maletín
the briefcase
Questions & Answers about Es muy peligroso; no les entregues el maletín.
Why does les come before entregues instead of being attached to the end of the verb?
In Spanish, pronoun placement changes depending on whether a command is positive or negative. For positive commands, you attach the pronoun to the end of the verb (like entrégales). But for negative commands, pronouns must go between no and the verb. That is why it is no les entregues.
Why does entregues end in -es when the infinitive is entregar (an -ar verb)?
When you give a negative command to tú (informal "you"), Spanish swaps the usual vowel endings. Because entregar is an -ar verb, its negative command takes the -er/-ir ending -es. (A positive command would just be entrega).
Why is there a "u" in entregues?
What does les mean in this sentence, and who does it refer to?
Les is an indirect object pronoun meaning "to them" (or "to you all"). The sentence uses it to specify exactly who you shouldn't hand the briefcase over to.
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