too / enough + pronoun? + infinitive

Question

Hey guys / ¡Hola todos! I have a question for y'all.

I've been reading up on how to correctly use "too and enough" in Spanish, and I find this structure everywhere:

• demasiado + adjetivo + infinitivo

• suficientemente + adjectivo + infinitivo

• etc.

For example:

• Es demasiado peligroso para hacer.

• Ellos no son suficientemente viejos como para manejar.

However, what is the grammatically correct way of adding and emphasizing a noun or pronoun before the infinitive?

For example:

• You can invest in it if you want, but frankly, that is too expensive for our business to invest in.

• I try to stay away from her, but she is too beautiful for Kyle to resist.

• Some of my friends over 35 had children, but is it too dangerous for me to have kids at this age?

I've asked several fluent Spanish speakers, and what one says is right, another says sounds funny! So would one of you geniuses please clear this up for me?

Thanks, Josh

Welcome to the Q&A forum, Josh! - --Mariana--, Nov 13, 2012

Mariana, thanks for the welcome! - jlazaro, Nov 14, 2012

Answer 1

Great question. Let's break it down.

• Es demasiado peligroso para hacer. I would say: Hacerlo es demasiado peligroso. Para hacer sounds too literal from English. However, you can say:

Es demasiado peligroso para mí.

Es demasiado difícil de hacer.

• Ellos no son suficientemente viejos como para manejar. I would say. No tienen suficiente edad para manejar (como para manejar sounds awkward and too literal).

And now for your examples in English:

• You can invest in it if you want, but frankly, that is too expensive for our business to invest in.

Puedes invertir si quieres, pero francamente es una inversión demasiado cara para nuestra empresa. Conversely, you can say: "pero francamente es demasiado cara para que nuestra empresa invierta en ella".

• I try to stay away from her, but she is too beautiful for Kyle to resist.

Trato de mantenerme alejado de ella, pero es demasiado bella para que Kyle se le resista.

• Some of my friends over 35 had children, but is it too dangerous for me to have kids at this age?

Algunos de mis amigos tuvieron hijos después de los 35 años, ¿no es demasiado peligroso para mí tener hijos a esta edad?

I hope this helps!

Awesome! I learn something new every day :-) - --Mariana--, Nov 13, 2012

Hey Franco, thanks, man! Using the 'para que + noun/pronoun + subjunctive verb" sounds like it places the desired emphasis on the noun/pronoun. - jlazaro, Nov 14, 2012

Also, for the final example, does that structure apply to all of the reflexive pronouns?? Ex: "...para mí/tí/sí/nosotros tener hijos..." ?? - jlazaro, Nov 14, 2012

Yes. It does. - francobollo, Nov 14, 2012