Manipularlas

Manipularlas is a Spanish pronominal infinitive formed by the verb manipular plus the feminine plural direct object pronoun las. It denotes the action of manipulating feminine plural antecedents, which can be concrete objects such as piezas or herramientas, or, by extension, refer to people described as feminine. The construction is common when the object pronoun is attached to an infinitive, as in Voy a manipularlas or No quiero manipularlas.

Grammar and usage: When attached to an infinitive, las refers to a feminine plural antecedent already mentioned in context. The phrase can also appear in finite-verb sentences with the pronoun placed after the verb (manipulan las piezas) or in an infinitive phrase within a larger clause (Las piezas deben manipularse con guantes). In affirmative tú commands, it is common to see forms like Manipúlaslas, where the pronoun las is attached to the imperative verb. The meaning can vary with context: it may refer to physically handling objects or, more broadly, to influencing or guiding people, depending on the referent of las and the surrounding language.

Semantics and context: The verb manipular generally carries a negative or pejorative connotation when used about people, implying control or deception. In contrast, when applied to objects, the term often simply means to handle, operate, or prepare something. Since las can refer to different feminine plural antecedents, the exact interpretation depends on context, making careful wording important to avoid ambiguity or unintended ethical implications.

Etymology and related forms: Manipular comes from Latin roots related to hand and handling, evolving through Romance-language formations such as French manipuler. The attached pronoun las is a standard feminine plural direct object marker in Spanish, enabling concise pronominal forms like manipularlas in appropriate contexts.