to get someone to do something

Question

For example:

I got my brother to wash my car.

I know I can say "Le convencí a mi hermano que lavara mi coche,? but I wonder if that is how a native would express this idea. That is, is there a more colloquial way to express it? There is a difference in register between the following in English.

I got my brother to wash my car.
I convinced my brother to wash my car.

Furthermore, the former often includes a nuance of trickery or connivance, while the latter does not.

Answer 1

I guess there's really no way to differentiate the two English sentences in Spanish.

Thanks again, Gustavo.

Answer 2

Thanks Vernic, Eddy, and Gustavo for the additional input, and especially to Vernic for the detailed explanation. I guess it's because of common cases such as "Le dije a mi hermano que," and because my teachers in the past have drilled it into my head that the redundant (from an English perspective) indirect pronoun is often used, that I sometimes overuse it.

This discussion has helped me a lot, but I have one final clarification to ask. How would you translate the following two sentences so as to capture the nuance of the English?

I had my brother wash my car.
I got my brother to wash my car.

Answer 3

Hi James
According to my Collins dictionary which has four full pages referring to the word "get", It gives two instances of "to get somebody to do something"

1) Conseguir que alguien haga algo.
2) Persuadir a alguien a hacer lo.
Examples:
Por fin conseguimos que cambiase de idea - We eventually got her to change her mind.
Por fin le persuadimos a cambiar de idea - We eventually got her to change her mind.

Don't know if this helps.

Answer 4

I'm not sure that "inducí" is the right past tense for "inducir"
What do you think about "induje"'.
--En este caso se trata de una interaccion entre dos personas, Generalmente cuando la oración comienza por el verbo (verbo-> sujeto), no es necesario el uso del pronombre:
Induje .... (a mi hermano a lavar/ hacer/ pensar)
Persuadí ... (a mi hermano de que lavara.../a pensar)
Motivé ... ( a mi hermano a hacer/ decir/.....)
Convencí... (a mi hermano de lavar.../ de que hiciera...)
Hice que... ( mi hermano lavara/ pensara/ deseara/ dijera....)
--Con excepciones como: Le dije a mi hermano que....
--Cuando el sujeto se encuentra antes que el verbo ( sujeto->verbo), el pronombre es necesario:
Estaba con mi hermano y lo induje a.......
Hablando con mi hermano lo persuadí de que....
Traje a mi hermano y lo hice que ...........
La regla cambia al tratarse de una accion unilateral, no se dice: Mi hermano lo lavó mi auto, sino Mi hermano lavo mi auto...

Answer 5

I first wrote it without the le, and then added it, then deleted it, then put it back. This is one of my weaknesses in Spanish (with which verbs to use the direct vs. indirect object pronoun).

So, Evelio and Gustavo, which of the phrases you have suggested comes closest in "flavor" to the English?

convencí que
hice que
persuadí que
inducí que
motivé que