Breakdown of El dentista lo atenderá ahora, pregúntele nomás.
ahora
now
le
to him / to her / to you (formal)
lo
it / him (direct object)
preguntar
to ask
atender
to serve / to attend (to look after, pay attention)
nomás
just (simply) / go ahead
el dentista
the dentist
Questions & Answers about El dentista lo atenderá ahora, pregúntele nomás.
How does nomás change the meaning of the command pregúntele here?
In Latin America, adding nomás right after an affirmative command softens the tone and acts as encouragement. Instead of sounding like a strict order, it translates to "go ahead and ask him" or "feel free to ask him," making the interaction much friendlier.
Who exactly do the pronouns lo and le refer to in this sentence?
The pronoun lo is a direct object pronoun referring to "you" in the formal usted form, meaning the dentist will attend to you. The pronoun le is an indirect object pronoun referring to the dentist, meaning you should address your question to him.
Why is atenderá used instead of a form of ver if the English translation is "will see you"?
Why does pregúntele have a written accent mark?
The base command is pregunte. When you attach the pronoun le to the end of an affirmative command, the spoken stress stays on the exact same syllable. Because the written word now has an extra syllable, you must add an accent mark on the u to force the stress to stay where it belongs, breaking the standard pronunciation rules.
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