Use of 'le' in quasi-reflexive imperatives

Question

I've heard 'le' used in imperatives in a way that makes no sense to me. Examples are "Ándale", "Pásale", and "Llégale". The imperatives could also be formal, and 'le' would still be used. The pronoun is not dative or accusative, so unless its use in this construction in simply canonical, I'm baffled by its inclusion. Can anyone explain this use of 'le'?

Answer 1

El le de estas expresiones coloquiales mexicanas no cumple ninguna función sintáctica. Está allí sólo como una forma de suavizar el imperativo. Por lo tanto, del punto de vista sintáctico pase y pásele en este caso son equivalentes. La única diferencia es que pásele, con este significado, sólo se usa en México.

Pásele = pase usted
Pásale = pasa tú
Pásenle = pasen ustedes
Pásense = pasen ustedes
Pásate, también es una forma común en México de decir que pases (pasa tú, pásale tú)
Todas esas formas son comunes en México.

Gracias, Jack. - jlupine, Apr 4, 2014

Answer 2

pasale = come in

andale = hurry up

I know what they mean, but I'm trying to analyze them grammatically. Are they just Mexican colloquialisms that aren't subject to analysis? - jlupine, Apr 4, 2014

Answer 3

I've always wondered that too. I think it's mainly a Mexican colloquialism used for color more than meaning. ¡Órale!