Breakdown of No digo que el tabloide haga fracasar el evento mediático.
no
no, not
hacer
to do / to make
el evento
the event
que
that / than
decir
to say, to tell
fracasar
to fail (be unsuccessful)
el tabloide
tabloid
mediático
media
Questions & Answers about No digo que el tabloide haga fracasar el evento mediático.
Why is haga in the subjunctive here?
The phrase starts with No digo que (I do not say that). When verbs of communication—like decir (to say), afirmar (to state), or mencionar (to mention)—are used in the negative, they deny a fact or introduce doubt rather than reporting information. This triggers the subjunctive mood for the second verb, which is why we see haga instead of the indicative hace.
Why are haga and fracasar right next to each other? Wouldn't haga el evento fracasar make more sense?
In English, we split the verbs: makes the event fail. But in Spanish, when using the causative structure hacer + infinitive (to make something happen), the two verbs almost always stay together: haga fracasar. The object receiving the action (el evento mediático) naturally follows the infinitive.
If I removed the No at the beginning, would the rest of the sentence stay the same?
No, the verb would change back to the indicative mood. If you say Digo que... (I say that...), you are declaring a fact or reporting a statement. Because you are no longer denying or doubting it, you must use the indicative: Digo que el tabloide hace fracasar el evento mediático.
Is there another way to say "makes the event fail" without using hacer?
You could use the verb causar and say causa que el evento mediático fracase. However, hacer + infinitive is the most natural and common way to translate "to make [someone/something] [do an action]" in Spanish. Notice that if you do use causar que, it forces the next verb (fracasar) into the subjunctive as well.
Learn No digo que el tabloide haga fracasar el evento mediático and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free