Breakdown of Él no los deja ensuciar el uniforme durante el ejercicio o el descanso.
él
he
no
no, not
o
or
ensuciar
to dirty
durante
during
los
them (masculine direct object)
dejar
to let / to allow (informal)
el uniforme
the uniform
el ejercicio
the exercise
el descanso
the rest
Questions & Answers about Él no los deja ensuciar el uniforme durante el ejercicio o el descanso.
Why does the pronoun los come before deja instead of being attached to ensuciar?
In causative sentences like this (using dejar or hacer plus an infinitive), the object pronoun usually goes right before the conjugated verb. So, los deja ensuciar translates to "lets them dirty." You generally do not attach it to the infinitive here.
Why isn't there a de after deja? I thought "to stop doing something" was dejar de.
You are right that dejar de means "to stop" doing something. However, when dejar is used without de and followed directly by an infinitive, it means "to let" or "to allow." So no los deja ensuciar means "he does not let them dirty," not "he does not stop them."
Why is it el uniforme (singular) if "them" (los) is plural? Shouldn't it be los uniformes?
In English we say "their uniforms," but in Spanish, when a group of people each have one of the same thing (like a uniform, a nose, or a life), you typically use the singular form. Saying los uniformes could sound like each person is wearing multiple uniforms!
Is ejercicio used for both physical workouts and school exercises?
Yes! Just like in English, el ejercicio can mean a physical workout or a practice task for learning. Here, paired with el descanso (the break), it likely refers to a physical training exercise.
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