Making something happen: hacer que
You know hacer + infinitive (Me hizo reír). When the cause is a thing or an event, Spanish often says hacer que + subjunctive instead. Like pedir que or querer que, hacer que is a verb of influence: what it brings about goes into the subjunctive, even when it really happened. Present subjunctive after a present, imperfect subjunctive after a past.
| This music makes me feel better. | Esta música hace que me sienta mejor. |
The music is the cause; me sienta is the effect, in the present subjunctive.
| The rain made them cancel the concert. | La lluvia hizo que cancelaran el concierto. |
Hizo is past, so cancelaran, although the concert really was cancelled.
Getting someone to do it: conseguir que, lograr que
Conseguir and lograr + infinitive mean to manage to: you do it yourself. With que + subjunctive you get someone else to do it.
| you do it | someone else does it |
|---|---|
| Logré aprobar. | Logré que mi hermano aprobara. |
| Conseguí entrar. | Conseguí que me dejaran entrar. |
| I got them to give me back the money. | Conseguí que me devolvieran el dinero. |
They gave the money back; I made it happen.
| I managed to pass, but I couldn't get my brother to pass. | Logré aprobar, pero no logré que mi hermano aprobara. |
Both halves of the table in one sentence.
Causing: provocar que
Provocar que (to cause) is common on the news and when you talk about consequences.
| The accident caused them to close the highway. | El accidente provocó que cerraran la autopista. |
The accident is the cause, the closure the effect.
| His comment caused everyone to laugh. | Su comentario provocó que todos se rieran. |
With a person as the cause, hacer que works too: hizo que todos se rieran.
Common mistakes
- La lluvia hizo que cancelaron el concierto → hizo que cancelaran.
- Conseguí que entrar → Conseguí entrar (you) or Conseguí que entraran (them).
