Word
A mi padre le ha dado por meditar.
Meaning
My father has suddenly taken to meditating.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about A mi padre le ha dado por meditar.
How does the phrase le ha dado por express a sudden habit?
The structure darle a alguien por followed by an infinitive like meditar is a common periphrasis used to say someone has suddenly, and often inexplicably, taken up a new habit. Think of it as 'the sudden impulse to meditate has struck him.'
What is the grammatical subject of the verb ha dado in this sentence?
The subject is an unspoken 'it' that represents the sudden urge or whim itself. Literally, the sentence translates to 'It has given to my father for meditating.' Your father is the indirect object receiving this sudden impulse, which is why he is not the subject of the sentence.
Why do we need both A mi padre and le?
This is a classic case of indirect object doubling. Because the person experiencing the whim is the indirect object, we must use the indirect object pronoun le. We add A mi padre to clarify exactly who le refers to. In Spanish, even when you explicitly name the indirect object, the pronoun le is still grammatically required.
Why is the present perfect (ha dado) used here instead of the simple past (dio)?
In Spanish from Spain, the present perfect is used for recent past events or actions that have a strong connection to the present. Using ha dado implies that your father recently started this meditation habit and is still currently doing it.