Breakdown of Esta lente, la acaba de comprar el fotógrafo.
comprar
to buy
la
it / her (f)
este
this (m.sg., also esta, estos, estas, esto)
acabar
to finish (or to have just + infinitive)
de
linking word before an infinitive (after 'to have just')
el fotógrafo
the photographer
la lente
the lens
Questions & Answers about Esta lente, la acaba de comprar el fotógrafo.
Why do we need the pronoun la if we already specified Esta lente at the beginning?
This is the core of clitic doubling. When you move a direct object like Esta lente to the very front of the sentence to establish it as the topic, Spanish requires you to repeat it by placing the matching object pronoun (la) right before the verb.
Why is the subject el fotógrafo at the end of the sentence instead of before the verb?
Spanish word order is very flexible. When a direct object is pulled to the front of the sentence, it is very common to invert the subject and put it after the verb. Placing el fotógrafo at the end also highlights it as the new or most important piece of information you are revealing.
Could I attach la to the infinitive instead of putting it before acaba?
I see Esta and la, so is lente always a feminine noun?
In Spain, yes. Lente (referring to a camera lens, magnifying glass, or contact lens) is a feminine noun (la lente). Just be aware that if you consume media from Latin America, you will often hear it used as a masculine noun (el lente).
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