Breakdown of Condecoraron al director por grabar ese documental.
ese
that (masculine)
por
for / by / through / in/during (part of the day)
el director
the director
el documental
the documentary
Questions & Answers about Condecoraron al director por grabar ese documental.
Why is it por grabar and not por grabando if the English translation is "for filming"?
In English, prepositions are often followed by verbs ending in "-ing". In Spanish, prepositions like por must always be followed by the infinitive (grabar). You cannot use the gerund (grabando) after a preposition.
Since the filming happened in the past, couldn't we use the perfect infinitive por haber grabado?
Yes, you can absolutely say por haber grabado (for having filmed), and it is very common when you want to emphasize a completed action. However, using the simple infinitive por grabar is also perfectly natural here because the past tense of the main verb (condecoraron) already makes it clear that the action took place in the past.
Who does the "they" refer to in condecoraron?
It doesn't refer to anyone specific. Using the third-person plural (condecoraron) without stating a subject is a standard way to express an impersonal action in Spanish. It is the most common way to translate English passive sentences where the "doer" is unknown or irrelevant, like "The director was decorated."
Why do we need al before director?