Spanish Sentence Complements and Syntactic Functions

English10 Mar 20263.08 KB

Direct Objects

You can substitute direct objects with the pronouns lo, la, los, and las.
Another way to recognize the direct object is to convert the active sentence into a passive sentence; the direct object then becomes the subject.
If the direct object refers to a person, it is preceded by the preposition "a".
Check whether the sentence contains a noun or phrase that responds to the sequence lo, la, los, las + participle. Example: He was given a pen. What was given? A pen.

The indirect object never becomes the subject of a passive sentence.
Example: I gave an award to Mary. In passive: An award was given to Mary by me.
It always takes the preposition "to" (a). If a noun or phrase appears without a preposition, it is not an indirect object.
It is a syntactic function performed by a noun or nominal group.

These complement the verb without being required by it. They can be eliminated because they are not syntactically mandatory. Example: Mary came. / Mary came at eight.
They express circumstances such as time, place, manner, quantity, instrument, order, company, cause, or means.

These are complements required by the verb and are always built with a specific preposition. They cannot be replaced by adverbs. Example: Ana regretted what she said.

The agent complement in passive sentences is introduced by the preposition "by" (por) and rarely by "of" (de). Example: Firefighters were alerted by neighbors.

The attribute and the predicative complement both modify a noun and a verb at the same time.

It is always necessary for the verb of the sentence. Example: Marta is happy. (Without it, "Marta is" would be incomplete).
Attributes are used with copulative verbs. The most common are to be (ser/estar) and to seem (parecer).
The attribute function can be performed by an adjective (or adjectival group) or a noun (or nominal group). Example: Mary was very quiet; John is a good pianist.

It is not strictly necessary for the verb; it can be deleted and the sentence will still have meaning. Example: Marcos listened attentively to the teacher. / Marcos listened to the teacher.
The role of the predicative complement is played by adjectives or adjectival groups, not nouns.