Learn Spanish (Latin America): Ella ganó la estatuilla por actuar en esa película. - She won the statuette for acting in that movie.

Ella ganó la estatuilla por actuar en esa película.

She won the statuette for acting in that movie.

Breakdown of Ella ganó la estatuilla por actuar en esa película.

Questions & Answers about Ella ganó la estatuilla por actuar en esa película.

Why is it por actuar and not por actuando since the English translation is 'for acting'?

In Spanish, whenever a verb directly follows a preposition like por, it must be in its infinitive form (actuar). Even though English uses the '-ing' form after prepositions, Spanish strictly uses the infinitive.

Since this lesson is about causal abbreviations, how would you say this without abbreviating it?

You would use a full clause with a conjugated verb, like Ella ganó la estatuilla porque actuó en esa película (She won the statuette because she acted in that movie). Using por + infinitive is a more concise way to express the exact same cause.

Could I use para instead of por here?

No, that would completely change the meaning. Para + infinitive expresses purpose ('in order to'). Saying para actuar would mean she won the statuette in order to act in the movie. Por + infinitive expresses the reason or cause of the action ('because of acting').

What is the root word of estatuilla?

It comes from estatua (statue) plus the diminutive suffix -illa, literally meaning 'little statue.' This is the standard term used in Spanish for entertainment awards like an Oscar or an Emmy.