Learn Spanish (Latin America): Lo vi agitar el ron y me gustó la forma en que añadió la ginebra. - I saw him shake the rum, and I liked the way he added the gin.

Lo vi agitar el ron y me gustó la forma en que añadió la ginebra.

I saw him shake the rum, and I liked the way he added the gin.

Breakdown of Lo vi agitar el ron y me gustó la forma en que añadió la ginebra.

and

in / on / at

ver

to see / to look / appear

que

that / than

Questions & Answers about Lo vi agitar el ron y me gustó la forma en que añadió la ginebra.

Why do we use the indicative añadió here instead of the subjunctive?

We use the indicative because the speaker is referring to a completed, known fact in the past. If they were talking about a hypothetical or future action, such as expressing a hope about how someone might add the gin, they would use the subjunctive (la forma en que añada).

Could I say la forma en la que añadió instead of la forma en que añadió?

Yes! When using phrases like la forma, la manera, or el modo to mean 'the way that,' it is perfectly fine to drop the article before que. Both la forma en que and la forma en la que are completely correct and mean the exact same thing.

Why is it lo vi agitar rather than vi que él agitaba?

With perception verbs like ver (to see) or oír (to hear), it is very common to attach the object pronoun (lo) to the main verb and follow it immediately with an infinitive (agitar). Saying vi que él agitaba is also grammatically correct, but the infinitive structure is more concise and sounds very natural.

Doesn't agitar having a direct object (el ron) mean we should use the indirect object pronoun le for the person (le vi agitar)?