Breakdown of Les ruego que me den la autorización.
dar
to give
que
that / than
me
to me / me (direct object)
les
to them / to you all
Questions & Answers about Les ruego que me den la autorización.
Why do we use den instead of dan here?
Den is the present subjunctive form of dar (to give). We use the subjunctive because the first verb, ruego (I beg), is a verb of influence or request. When you try to influence someone else's actions, the second verb must be in the subjunctive.
In English, we say 'I beg you to give'. Why does Spanish use que and a conjugated verb instead of an infinitive?
In Spanish, when the person doing the begging (I) is different from the person doing the giving (you), you usually cannot use the infinitive. Instead, you must use que followed by a new clause in the subjunctive. Literally, this sentence translates to 'I beg you all that you give me'.
Who does les refer to, and why are there two indirect object pronouns (les and me) in the same sentence?
Les refers to the people being begged, which in Latin America usually means 'to you all' (ustedes), though it could also mean 'to them'. Each verb gets its own indirect object pronoun: I beg you all (les ruego), that you give me (me den).
Why is the first verb spelled ruego instead of 'rogo'?