Breakdown of El entrenador me hizo lavar el uniforme.
hacer
to do / to make
lavar
to wash
me
to me / me (direct object)
el entrenador
coach
Questions & Answers about El entrenador me hizo lavar el uniforme.
Why are hizo and lavar right next to each other without a connecting word in between?
Why does me go before hizo rather than being attached to the end of lavar?
In these 'make someone do something' structures, the object pronoun almost always goes right before the conjugated verb (here, hizo). It tells us who is receiving the pressure to act. You cannot attach it to the infinitive here, so it must be me hizo lavar and never hizo lavarme.
Why does the sentence use el uniforme (the uniform) instead of mi uniforme (my uniform)?
When talking about clothing or body parts, Spanish prefers a definite article (like el or la) over a possessive word (like mi or tu) as long as the owner is obvious. Since the coach made you do the washing, it is naturally understood that you are washing your own uniform.
Why is hacer spelled with a z in hizo?