- Understand what causative constructions are and when to use them
- Master hacer + infinitive to express making or having someone do something
- Use dejar + infinitive to express letting or allowing someone to do something
- Apply mandar + infinitive to express ordering someone to do something
- Place pronouns correctly with causative verbs
- Distinguish between causative constructions and direct commands
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Causatives: Hacer, Dejar, Mandar
What You'll Learn
Overview / Usage
What Are Causative Constructions?
Causative constructions express that someone causes or allows another person to do something. Instead of doing the action yourself, you make, let, or order someone else to do it. In Spanish, the main causative verbs are hacer (make/have), dejar (let/allow), and mandar (order/command).
The Three Main Causative Verbs
HACER + infinitive
Make / Have someone do something
Lo hice trabajar
I made him work
DEJAR + infinitive
Let / Allow someone to do something
Lo dejé salir
I let him go out
MANDAR + infinitive
Order / Command someone to do something
Lo mandé callar
I ordered him to be quiet
💡 Key Concept
In causative constructions, you're not doing the action—you're causing someone else to do it. The formula is simple: Causative verb + direct object pronoun + infinitive. The person who performs the action is expressed as the direct object.
Structure & Formation
1. HACER + Infinitive (Make/Have Someone Do Something)
Structure
HACER + (direct object pronoun) + INFINITIVE
Hice estudiar a mi hijo
I made my son study
Lo hice estudiar
I made him study
El jefe nos hizo trabajar tarde
The boss made us work late
La película me hizo llorar
The film made me cry
Les haré repetir el ejercicio
I'll make them repeat the exercise
¿Te hizo esperar mucho?
Did he/she make you wait long?
2. DEJAR + Infinitive (Let/Allow Someone To Do Something)
Structure
DEJAR + (direct object pronoun) + INFINITIVE
Mis padres me dejaron salir
My parents let me go out
No la dejaron entrar
They didn't let her come in
¿Me dejas usar tu móvil?
Will you let me use your phone?
Déjalo hablar
Let him speak
No te dejaré conducir
I won't let you drive
Los dejé jugar en el jardín
I let them play in the garden
3. MANDAR + Infinitive (Order/Command Someone To Do Something)
Structure
MANDAR + (direct object pronoun) + INFINITIVE
La profesora nos mandó callar
The teacher ordered us to be quiet
Te mandé limpiar tu cuarto
I ordered you to clean your room
El capitán los mandó marchar
The captain ordered them to march
Me mandaron escribir un informe
They ordered me to write a report
¿Quién te mandó venir?
Who ordered you to come?
Lo mandé sentarse
I ordered him to sit down
Pronoun Placement
Two Options for Pronoun Placement
Option 1: Before the causative verb (most common)
Lo hice trabajar
I made him work
Option 2: Attached to the infinitive (less common)
Hice trabajarlo
I made him work
Note: When using a reflexive verb in the causative construction, the reflexive pronoun stays with the infinitive:Lo hice levantarseI made him get up (himself)
Other Causative-Type Verbs
PERMITIR + infinitive
Permit / Allow (formal)
No me permiten fumar aquí
They don't permit me to smoke here
OBLIGAR + a + infinitive
Force / Oblige
Me obligaron a firmar
They forced me to sign
AYUDAR + a + infinitive
Help
La ayudé a estudiar
I helped her study
IMPEDIR + infinitive
Prevent / Stop
Le impidieron salir
They prevented him from leaving
Examples
Causatives in Context
At Home / Family Situations
Parent to child
Te hice recoger tu cuarto tres veces
I made you pick up your room three times
Child asking permission
¿Me dejas ir a la fiesta?
Will you let me go to the party?
Parent giving orders
Te mandé hacer los deberes antes de cenar
I ordered you to do your homework before dinner
At Work / Professional Settings
Boss to employee
El jefe nos hizo quedarnos hasta tarde
The boss made us stay late
Requesting permission
¿Me deja salir temprano hoy?
Will you let me leave early today?
Manager giving orders
La gerente me mandó revisar todos los informes
The manager ordered me to review all the reports
Emotional Reactions (hacer = cause)
Esa canción me hace llorar
That song makes me cry
Me hiciste reír mucho
You made me laugh a lot
Su actitud me hizo enfadar
His/her attitude made me angry
La noticia los hizo sonreír
The news made them smile
Gotchas / Common Mistakes
1. Don't confuse causatives with direct commands
❌ Causative (wrong context)
Hice trabajar (no direct object)
Incomplete - work who?
✅ Causative (correct)
Lo hice trabajar
I made him work
Causatives require someone to perform the action. If there's no other person involved, use a direct command or simple verb instead.
2. Using indirect object pronouns instead of direct
❌ Incorrect pronoun
Le hice estudiar
Wrong - uses indirect object 'le'
✅ Correct pronoun
Lo hice estudiar
I made him study
The person performing the action in a causative construction is the direct object, not the indirect object. Use lo/la/los/las, not le/les.
3. Forgetting the difference between hacer and dejar
HACER = force/cause
Lo hice salir
I made him leave (he didn't want to)
DEJAR = allow/permit
Lo dejé salir
I let him leave (he wanted to)
These verbs have opposite meanings! Hacer implies causing or forcing something against resistance, while dejar implies giving permission or allowing.
4. Wrong word order with pronouns
❌ Pronoun in wrong place
Hice lo trabajar
Wrong position
✅ Correct position
Lo hice trabajar
I made him work
The pronoun goes before the conjugated causative verb, not between the verb and the infinitive.
5. Mixing up mandar (order) with enviar (send)
MANDAR + infinitive
Me mandó callar
He/She ordered me to be quiet
MANDAR/ENVIAR + noun
Me mandó un mensaje
He/She sent me a message
Mandar can mean both "to order" (with infinitive) and "to send" (with a noun object). Context matters!
6. Using 'que + subjunctive' when a simple infinitive works
⚠️ More complex (but correct)
Hice que estudiara
I made him study
✅ Simpler (preferred)
Lo hice estudiar
I made him study
While "hacer/mandar/dejar que + subjunctive" is grammatically correct, the simple causative construction with the infinitive is more natural and common in everyday speech.
Quick Test / Mini Quiz
Causative Constructions Quiz
Test your understanding of hacer, dejar, and mandar with infinitives
1
How do you say 'I made him study' using a causative construction?
2
Which sentence means 'My parents let me go out'?
3
What's the correct way to say 'The boss made them work overtime'?
4
Which verb would you use to say 'The teacher ordered us to be quiet'?
5
How do you say 'Don't let him leave!'?
6
What does 'Me hiciste llorar' mean?
7
Which construction correctly says 'I'll have them clean the room'?
8
What's the difference between 'dejar' and 'hacer' in causatives?
Useful Resources
Coming soon...