Breakdown of Mi hermana quiere hacerse médica para ayudar a la gente.
para
for / in order to (+ infinitive) / by (a deadline)
la médica
the doctor
la hermana
the sister
mi
my
a
personal a (marks a person object)
ayudar
to help
querer
to want; to love (a person)
la gente
the people
hacerse
to become
Questions & Answers about Mi hermana quiere hacerse médica para ayudar a la gente.
Why do we use hacerse here to mean 'to become'?
Why is it hacerse médica instead of hacerse una médica?
In Spanish, you drop the indefinite article (un or una) when talking about someone's profession. You only add the article back in if you are describing the profession with an adjective, like una médica excelente (an excellent doctor).
Could the se in hacerse go anywhere else in this sentence?
Yes! When you have a conjugated verb (quiere) followed by an infinitive (hacer), pronoun rules allow you to attach the pronoun to the end of the infinitive (quiere hacerse) or put it right before the conjugated verb (se quiere hacer). Both are perfectly natural.
Why do we use para instead of por before ayudar?
We use para here because it expresses a goal or purpose. Whenever you want to say 'in order to' do an action, you will always use para followed by an infinitive verb (like ayudar).
Why is there an a before la gente?
This is the 'personal a.' In Spanish, whenever the direct object receiving the action of the verb is a person or a group of people (like la gente), you must place an a immediately before it.
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