Breakdown of El actor recibe la nominación por sobresalir; es su gran mérito.
ser
to be
su
his/her/its/their/your (formal)
recibir
to receive
el actor
the actor
por
for / by / through / in/during (part of the day)
grande
great, outstanding
sobresalir
to stand out / excel
el mérito
the merit
la nominación
the nomination
Questions & Answers about El actor recibe la nominación por sobresalir; es su gran mérito.
Why do we use por instead of para before the infinitive here?
In Spanish, por + infinitive is used to express the cause or reason for an action. He is receiving the nomination because he stands out. If we used para sobresalir, it would express purpose, meaning he receives the nomination in order to stand out, which changes the meaning completely.
Could we use the perfect infinitive here, like por haber sobresalido?
Yes, absolutely. Using por haber sobresalido (for having stood out) would emphasize that his outstanding performance is a completed action in the past. The simple infinitive por sobresalir treats his standing out as a general, ongoing characteristic or a timeless fact. Both are natural ways to state the cause.
Is sobresalir related to the verb salir?
Why is it gran mérito instead of mérito grande?
When the adjective grande is placed before a singular noun, it is shortened to gran. Adjective placement here also changes the meaning: placing it before the noun means "great" in a figurative, impressive sense. If placed after the noun (un mérito grande), it would emphasize physical size, which doesn't make sense in this context.
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