Learn Spanish (Latin America): Le dije al protagonista que memorizara el guion. - I told the protagonist to memorize the script.

Le dije al protagonista que memorizara el guion.

I told the protagonist to memorize the script.

Breakdown of Le dije al protagonista que memorizara el guion.

to the

que

that / than

to him / to her / to you (formal)

decir

to say, to tell

Questions & Answers about Le dije al protagonista que memorizara el guion.

Why do we use que memorizara instead of just an infinitive for 'to memorize'?

In English, we report commands with an infinitive ('I told him to memorize'). In Spanish, when you report a command or request, you must use que plus a conjugated verb in the subjunctive, because you are trying to influence someone else's actions. Since the main verb (dije) is in the past tense, the requested action must be in the past (imperfect) subjunctive (memorizara).

Why is le included if the sentence already specifies al protagonista?

It is a strict rule in Spanish to double up on indirect objects. You must use the indirect object pronoun (le) to show who is receiving the action, even when you explicitly name that person (al protagonista) later in the same sentence.

Why does the sentence use al before protagonista?

The person you are telling something to is the indirect object, which is always introduced by the preposition a (to). When a is followed directly by the masculine article el (el protagonista), they must combine into the single word al.

Why doesn't the word guion have an accent mark on the O?