Breakdown of El escuchar al chamán facilita la sanación.
escuchar
to listen
facilitar
to facilitate / to make easier
al
personal 'a' + the (marks a human direct object)
el chamán
the shaman
Questions & Answers about El escuchar al chamán facilita la sanación.
Why is there an el before the verb escuchar?
This is known as the articulated infinitive. In Spanish, you can place the masculine singular article el in front of an infinitive to emphasize its role as a noun. Here, el escuchar acts as the subject of the sentence, which translates to the English gerund 'Listening'.
Is the el strictly necessary, or could I just start the sentence with Escuchar?
Why do we use al chamán instead of just el chamán?
This is the personal 'a' in action. The verb escuchar takes a direct object, and because the shaman is a specific, identifiable person, you must put the preposition a before it. The a then combines with the masculine article el to form the contraction al.
Is sanación the only word for 'healing'?