The usage of ''Hacer de''

Question

I saw this line in a paragraph.

El misterio de su pasado hacen de Bolivia un enigmático y llamativo país.

I looked up the meaning of Hacer de in the dictionary It said that hacer algo de algo means to turn something into something if that's the case, does it mean that i can change the order of ''de'' and ''bolivia'' like this to mean the same thing ?

----->hacen Bolivia de un enigmático y llamativo país.

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also, does this line mean '' The mystery of the past of Bolivia turned it into a mysterious and well-known country'' ?

Muchas Gracias !! :D

Welcome to the Q&A forum! - --Mariana--, Nov 3, 2012

No you can't split "hacer de" as you suggest. Like this it's begining to sound like "creates Bolivia from a (unspecified) enigmatic and attractive country". This is not what you mean. - geofc, Nov 6, 2012

Answer 1

It can be as simple as "make Bolivia a mysterious and attractive country." In my opinion, there's no need for very elaborate interpretations. Other examples:

Su dedicación y perseverancia la hacen la candidata perfecta para gobernadora.

Her dedication and perseverance make her the perfect candidate for Governor.

I hope this helps!

Thank you, you helped me a lot !!! - ijl0322, Nov 4, 2012

Answer 2

.. an enigmatic country that grabs your attention. A noticeable / specatacular country.

Answer 3

llamativo país.

"attractive country" is a good translation, not as "good looking" but rather "attention getting."

"El misterio de su pasado hacen de Bolivia un enigmático y llamativo país" would be less confusing written like this "El misterio de su pasado hace de Bolivia un enigmático país que llama la atención" (more common in spoken language).

Also in the original text "el misterio" is a singular subject." I would have used "hace" in place of "hacen."

Thank you for answering :) Your answer helped me a lot too. But my main question was the meaning and usage of Hacer de, so I didn't pick your answer as the best answer, Sorry ! - ijl0322, Nov 4, 2012

Answer 4

Maybe..."The mystery of its past made of Bolivia an enigmatic and attractive country."

It's uncommon in English but not incorrect.

Replace "made of" by "makes" and it sounds good to me. - geofc, Nov 6, 2012

"They made of him a fool in front of everyone." It's not how most English-speaking persons would say such, but it's possible. - cola_jet_set, Nov 6, 2012