Breakdown of A ella le dio por obsesionarse con la astrología y el tarot.
ella
she
y
and
con
with
a
to
le
to him / to her / to you (formal)
la
the (feminine)
por
for / by / through / in/during (part of the day)
darle por
to take to (doing something)
obsesionarse
to become obsessed
la astrología
astrology
el tarot
tarot
Questions & Answers about A ella le dio por obsesionarse con la astrología y el tarot.
How does the phrase le dio por work here, and why is dio in the third-person singular?
The structure darle por + infinitive expresses that someone suddenly started doing something on a whim. The verb dar is conjugated in the third-person singular (here, dio in the preterite) because the grammatical subject isn't the person. Instead, the person experiencing this sudden urge acts as the indirect object, which is why we use the pronoun le (clarified by A ella).
Why is the pronoun se attached to the end of obsesionar?
The verb is the pronominal obsesionarse (to become obsessed). The pronoun se must match the person who is obsessing—in this case, ella. Even though she is the indirect object of the main verb dio, she is the logical subject performing the action of the infinitive, so the pronoun reflects her.
Is the preposition con always used with obsesionarse?
Yes. When you want to say you are obsessed with or over something in Spanish, the verb obsesionarse strictly requires the preposition con. You cannot translate the English "over" or "about" literally here.
Why are the definite articles la and el required before astrología and tarot?
In English, we often drop articles when talking about general concepts, hobbies, or fields of study (like "astrology"). In Spanish, you generally must include the definite article (el, la, los, or las) when referring to abstract nouns, subjects, or generalizations.
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