Learn Spanish (Latin America): Se nos olvidó la táctica, así que nos hizo correr.

To say you make someone do something in Spanish, use the conjugated verb hacer directly followed by an infinitive verb, like correr. The people being made to do the action are represented by an object pronoun, which is nos (us) in this case. As a rule, this object pronoun must go right before the conjugated verb, giving us nos hizo correr.

How do we know hizo means "he made" and not "she made" or "it made"?

From this sentence alone, we actually do not know! The verb hizo is the third-person singular form, which can mean "he", "she", "it", or formal "you" (usted). The English translation specifies "he" based on the wider context of the conversation, such as talking about a soccer coach. Without that context, "it made us run" would also be a perfectly correct translation.

Why say Se nos olvidó la táctica instead of just Olvidamos la táctica?

While Olvidamos la táctica is grammatically correct, Spanish speakers often use the "accidental se" structure to remove direct blame. The phrase Se nos olvidó translates more literally to "The tactic forgot itself to us." This makes the forgotten tactic sound like an unfortunate accident outside of anyone's control, rather than a personal failure!

If "we" forgot the tactic in Se nos olvidó, why is olvidó in the singular "he/she/it" form?