Agravarlos

Agravarlos is the infinitive construct formed by the verb agravar with the attached direct object pronoun los, meaning to aggravate them. It is used in Spanish to refer to the act of making a situation worse or increasing the severity of something for a group of masculine plural entities.

Morphology and syntax: The pronoun los attaches to the infinitive form agravar, producing agravarlos. This cliticization is common in Spanish and allows the infinitive to function as a noun-like or non-finite clause within a larger sentence. Examples include Quería agravarlos (I wanted to aggravate them) and No debemos agravarlos (We must not aggravate them).

Usage: Agravarlos appears in contexts where a speaker wants to indicate worsening effects on a defined group. It is typical in political, legal, or social discourse, as well as in everyday speech, whenever the focus is on actions that heighten negative consequences for others. Example: Las medidas podrían agravarlos, aumentando la tensión en la comunidad (The measures could aggravate them, increasing tension in the community).

Etymology and related terms: Agravar comes from the Latin gravare, related to gravis meaning heavy or serious. The construction with a clitic pronoun is a standard feature of Spanish verb morphology, allowing the object to be linked directly to the infinitive. Related terms include agravar (to worsen) and other clitic-attached verb forms.

See also: agravar; pronombres clíticos; español grammar.