afectarlos

Afectarlos is the infinitive form of the verb afectarse? No, of the verb afectar with a direct-object clitic los attached. In Spanish, afectarlos literally means to affect them. It combines the verb afectar (to affect, to influence, to have an impact on) with the direct object pronoun los (them, masculine or mixed gender), and is used when the subject is going to affect a group of people referred to in masculine or mixed terms.

Grammar and usage

Afectarlos is formed by attaching the pronoun los to the infinitive afectar. This construction is common when another verb governs the action, as in voy a afectarlos (I am going to affect them) or no quiero afectarlos (I don’t want to affect them). The pronoun must agree in gender and number with the people it refers to; for feminine groups, the form afectarlas is used. Pronouns can also attach to gerunds or participles in certain constructions, but afectarlos most often appears with an accompanying finite or infinitive verb.

Meaning and nuance

Afectar can denote physical, emotional, social, or financial impact, among other senses. Afectarlos emphasizes that a given action or event will have some impact on the people referred to by los. Examples include cambios en políticas que podrían afectarlos, noticias que podrían afectarlos emocionalmente, or medidas que podrían afectarlos negativamente.

Etymology and related forms

Afectar comes from Latin afficere, meaning to influence or to cause. Related forms include afectan (they affect), afectado (affected), and afectación (impact, effect). The choice between afectarlos and afectarlas depends on the gender and number of the people being referred to.