Breakdown of Lo han sancionado por haber excedido el límite de velocidad.
de
of
lo
it / him (m)
haber
to have (auxiliary)
el límite
the limit / the boundary
por
because of (cause)
la velocidad
the speed
sancionar
to sanction
exceder
to exceed
Questions & Answers about Lo han sancionado por haber excedido el límite de velocidad.
Why use haber excedido instead of just exceder?
Using haber + past participle (a compound infinitive) translates specifically to "having exceeded." It strongly emphasizes that the action (the speeding) was fully completed before the main action (the sanction) took place. While por exceder ("for exceeding") is also grammatically correct, the compound infinitive is much more precise about the timeline.
Why is han sancionado used when there is no specific subject mentioned?
Using the third-person plural without a subject is the Spanish "impersonal they." It is a very common way to talk about actions taken by authorities, institutions, or unspecified groups. In English, we often naturally translate this using the passive voice: "He has been sanctioned" or "He was fined."
Is it ever possible to attach lo to the end of sancionado?
No. In compound tenses like the present perfect, object pronouns must always go immediately before the conjugated auxiliary verb (in this case, han). You can never attach an object pronoun to a past participle like sancionado.
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