Indirect Object pronouns with possesives.

Question

Hey guys,

I always come across 2 ways to express possesives, and I was wonderwing which is correct (if not both) and if some are used over the others in certain contexts.

For example:

La tentación me controla la vida. (Using an Indirect Object pronoun to express a possesion)

-or-

La tentación controla mi vida. (Stating the normal possesive adjective; I know this way is correct but I was wondering of the other was correct as well.)

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

The first one sounds more natural to me. Because in Spanish, indirect object pronouns already take care of the possessive for you. So, by saying "me controla" you know you are referring to your own life. There's no need to say controla mi vida.

However, your second expression is also grammatically correct, but closer to the way we express possessives in English (like reflexive verbs used when referring to parts of the body like my face, my nose, my legs). Examples:

My face hurts -- Me duele la cara (not mi cara)

I touch my nose -- Me toco la nariz (not mi nariz), etc.

I hope this helps!

Thanks Franco! - BradyLabuda, Oct 7, 2012