Breakdown of El ilusionista los hace entrar en trance.
en
in / on / at
hacer
to do / to make
entrar
to enter
los
them (masculine direct object)
Questions & Answers about El ilusionista los hace entrar en trance.
Why do we use the direct object pronoun los here instead of the indirect object les?
In causative structures with hacer or dejar, the pronoun you use depends on the second verb. Here, the second verb is entrar (to enter), which is an intransitive verb (meaning it doesn't take a direct object of its own). Because entrar has no direct object, the people performing the action become the direct object of the main verb hace. Therefore, we use los. If the second verb did have a direct object (like reading a book), you would use the indirect object pronoun les for the people.
Can I attach los to the end of the infinitive, saying hace entrarlos?
No, that would sound unnatural here. In causative structures using hacer or dejar plus an infinitive, the two verbs act closely together as a single unit. Because of this, the object pronoun needs to go before the conjugated verb (los hace entrar).
Why is it entrar en trance and not just entrar a trance or entrar un trance?
In Spanish, the verb entrar is followed by the preposition en when talking about entering a specific state of being, a phase, or a situation. Entrar en trance is the fixed expression for going into a trance. You cannot skip the preposition, because entrar requires one to connect to its destination or state.