persuadirles

Persuadirles is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb persuadir with the clitic pronoun les attached, meaning to persuade them. The construction represents the recipient of the persuasion as the indirect object, and it is used when the verb appears in infinitive or participial forms, or when an attached pronoun is preferred for conciseness. It is roughly equivalent to persuadir a ellos in full form.

Usage and grammar

The attached pronoun les indicates to whom the persuasion is directed and is common in both written and spoken Spanish. It can occur with other verbs in periphrastic constructions, as in Tenemos que persuadirles or Quiero persuadirles. The gerund form is persuadiéndoles, meaning persuading them. Depending on regional conventions (notably leísmo in parts of Spain), les may replace lo or la as the pronoun for a masculine or mixed direct object, though this is a regional variation rather than a separate word.

Semantics and style

Persuadirles emphasizes the act of influencing beliefs, attitudes, or decisions of a group or people. It often carries a sense of reasoned argument or appeal, while convencer tends to stress acceptance. Both verbs can take a recipient expressed with a prepositional phrase (a ellos) or a clitic pronoun (les).

Etymology and related terms

Persuadir comes from Latin persuadere. Related verbs include convencer, influir, and inducir, which convey related notions of changing someone’s mind or actions.

Examples

- Tenemos que persuadirles de los beneficios del acuerdo.

- Quiero persuadirles para que participen.

- Persuadiéndoles, presentaron mejor las ventajas del proyecto.