completarlo

Completarlo is a Spanish verbal construction formed by attaching the direct object pronoun lo to the infinitive of the verb completar. In this use, the phrase is not a separate word with its own meaning, but a result of clitic pronoun attachment to an infinitive. The base verb completar means “to complete,” “to finish,” or “to fill out,” and lo refers to a masculine or neuter antecedent previously mentioned.

Usage and examples

The most common appearance of completarlo is in periphrastic constructions with a finite verb, where the speaker wants to indicate that the action of completing will be carried out. Examples include: Quiero completarlo; Voy a completarlo mañana. In these cases, completarlo is treated as the infinitive form with the pronoun attached, and it can appear after auxiliary verbs or in compound tenses.

Pronoun combinations

Spanish allows attaching additional pronouns to the infinitive, which can produce forms such as completárselo or completársela. In completárselo, the indirect pronoun (commonly me, te, le, nos, os, se, depending on context) precedes the direct pronoun lo, la, los, or las. For example: ¿Puedes completárselo? This means “Can you complete it for him/her?” When only the direct object is involved, forms like completarlo or completarla are also correct, depending on gender.

Notes

Completarlo is primarily a grammatical construction used to express object-focused actions in a compact form. It is common in written and spoken Spanish, especially in informal registers, and it follows the general rules for pronoun placement with infinitives.