Put indirect object before non-reflexive verbs
Question: When a verb is not reflexive, does that mean I can not put a indirect object pronoun before or attached to the end of the conjugated verb?
Por ejemplo:
Mis disculpas por no te respondiendo (my apologies for not responding to you).
Being that "responder" is not a reflexive verb, would I be correctly chainging it when I say it like this:
Mis disculpas por no respondiendo a tu.
HELP!?! Thanks!
3 Answers
Question: When a verb is not reflexive, does that mean I can not put a indirect object pronoun before or attached to the end of the conjugated verb?
There are no reflexive verbs in Spanish; only verbs with pronouns, which can be reflexive or non-reflexive:
Lo baño -> "lo" is the direct object
Me baño -> "me" is the direct object, which is reflexive
Le lavo la cabeza -> "le" is the indirect object
Me lavo la cabeza -> "me" is the indirect object, which is reflexive
Mis disculpas por no te respondiendo (my apologies for not responding to you).
"Reponding" is a gerund in English, and gerunds can not be "gerundios" in Spanish. In most cases, they should be infinitives: "... por no responderte". Here, the indirect object pronoun "te" must be attached to the infinitive.
Being that "responder" is not a reflexive verb, would I be correctly chainging it when I say it like this:
Mis disculpas por no respondiendo a tu.
No, you can't do that. Only the version I gave you above with the infinitive and the indirect object is correct. The only reflexive thing are the pronouns, not the verbs, and they have no effect on how verbs are used.
The sooner you forget about that childish myth about the Spanish reflexive verbs, the better, trust me.
In this case, you don't use "respondiendo", you use "responder" to mean "forgive me for not responding...", but you might want to say this...
Mis disculpas por no haberte respondido.
My apologies for not having responded to you.
Mis disculpas por no responderte.
