Learn Spanish (Latin America): El capitán nos hizo practicar las flexiones y las sentadillas. - The captain made us practice the push-ups and the squats.

El capitán nos hizo practicar las flexiones y las sentadillas.

The captain made us practice the push-ups and the squats.

Breakdown of El capitán nos hizo practicar las flexiones y las sentadillas.

and

las

the (feminine plural)

Questions & Answers about El capitán nos hizo practicar las flexiones y las sentadillas.

Why don't we need words like a or que between hizo and practicar?

When using hacer to mean making someone do something, it is followed directly by the infinitive verb. You do not need to connect them with a or que, which is a common mistake for learners who are used to connecting phrases like tener que or ayudar a.

Why does nos go before hizo instead of being attached to practicar?

In this causative structure, the pronoun showing who is being made to do the action belongs before the conjugated verb (hizo). If you attached it to the infinitive to say hizo practicarnos, it would sound like the captain made someone else practice us!

Is there another common way to say push-ups in Latin America besides las flexiones?

Yes! While las flexiones is widely understood, many Latin American countries informally call push-ups las lagartijas, which literally translates to 'little lizards' because of how your body looks when doing the exercise.

Is the word sentadillas (squats) related to the verb sentarse (to sit)?

Exactly. Sentadilla is related to the word sentado (seated). Since a squat is essentially a repetitive sitting motion, connecting it to the verb for sitting makes this new vocabulary word very intuitive to remember.