Welcome to training camp! When a coach demands action or a doctor advises rest, they are trying to influence your behavior. In Spanish, to express advising, requiring, or preventing someone from doing something, you can often use a simple construction with an infinitive verb.
Verbs of influence
When the person giving the command or advice is different from the person performing the action, you can use this straightforward formula:
Indirect Object Pronoun + Verb of Influence + Infinitive
The indirect object pronoun (me, te, le, nos, os, les) tells us who is being influenced. Let's see this in action with verbs like exigir (to demand or require), aconsejar (to advise), and recomendar (to recommend):
| The coach requires us to maintain discipline. | El entrenador nos exige mantener la disciplina. |
| After losing, she advised them to improve their discipline. | Después de perder, ella les aconsejó mejorar la disciplina. |
| I recommend you improve your performance before the tournament. | Te recomiendo mejorar el rendimiento antes del torneo. |
Preventing and allowing
This exact same structure is used for verbs that stop or allow an action, such as prohibir (to forbid), impedir (to prevent), and permitir (to allow).
| Girls, do not participate if they forbid you to play in the tournament. | Chicas, no participéis si os prohíben jugar en el torneo. |
| The injury prevented her from training yesterday. | La lesión le impidió entrenar ayer. |
| They do not allow him to change the tactic against the rival. | No le permiten cambiar la táctica contra el rival. |
By using the infinitive here, you keep your sentences punchy and direct—perfect for the locker room!
