Question 1

Why does this sentence use the verb dar (to give) to mean make?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, many emotional reactions are expressed by using the verb dar followed by a noun. Instead of saying something makes you nervous, Spanish phrases it as giving you a noun. Here, the big dogs literally give him nervios (nerves).

Question 2

Why is the verb plural (dan) instead of singular (da)?

Accepted Answer

In this sentence structure, the thing causing the emotion is the grammatical subject. Since the cause is los perros grandes (the big dogs), which is plural, the verb must be the plural dan. The literal translation is that the big dogs give nerves to him.

Question 3

Why do we need both a él and le in the same sentence?

Accepted Answer

The indirect object pronoun le is required by Spanish grammar when using this emotional reaction structure. Because le can mean to him, to her, or to you (formal), the phrase a él is added at the beginning to clarify exactly who is experiencing the emotion and to add a little emphasis.

Question 4

Why is there a los before perros grandes if we are just talking about big dogs in general?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, when a noun represents a general category or concept, you must use a definite article like el, la, los, or las before it. English drops the article for general categories and just says big dogs, but Spanish requires it to be los perros grandes.

A él le dan nervios los perros grandes.

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