Using infinitives without another verb

Question

Greetings,

The book I'm on now just presented me with these two cases of infinitives that left me wondering. Here are the sentences (unrelated, from different parts of the text):

(situation: the speaker arrives, very ill and quite tired, at the house and everybody makes a fuss over him)

-Dejarlo pasar -decía mi padre, a mis espaldas-. Viene hecho polvo. No necesita nada. Sólo dormir. De verdad, Rosa. Dejarlo ahora.

I'm at a loss why "dejarlo" is used as an infinitive instead of using the imperative form. At first I thought it was a typo but it's repeated at the end of the line, so... why?

And the second one:

"No sabes cómo te necesito, lo que daría por tenerte aquí, sería como recuperar la respiración verte aparecer ahora mismo, daría mi alma al diablo, entera no, lo que tú has dejado de ella, a cambio de mirarte tan sólo diez minutos. Aunque tú no me hablaras. ¡Verte, mirarte ahora!"

This one looks like an intentional omission to create a nice dramatic effect: "daría mi alma ... a cambio de mirarte", or even starting from "lo que daría por tenerte", and then reinforcing just the 'second' part that remains unconjugated: "verte, mirarte ahora". Am I right here?

Thank you in advance!

Edit: The book is called "La reina de las nieves" by Carmen Martín Gaite, written in 1994. Written when she was 70, wow. She was born in Spain but I'm clueless as to whether this book is an example of peninsular Spanish.

Answer 1

It is a not unusual way to form an impersonal command, I am not sure how often it is used in direct, specific commands:

http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/100070/infinitive-commands#.VWSNFVVViko

These impersonal commands are given in a general sense and apply to all listeners or readers. They are mostly used in signs, instructions, or recipes. While the ustedes command could also be used in the same situations, the infinitive command has more of a sense of generality when it comes to the audience.

Infinitive Commands

To form the infinitive command, simply use the infinitive. Do not conjugate it!

No fumar. (No smoking.)

Ver las notas abajo. (See the notes below.)

Batir los huevos. (Beat the eggs.)

http://spanish.about.com/cs/verbs/a/not_imperative.htm

Infinitives as impersonal commands: The infinitive (the unconjugated verb form that ends in -ar, -er or -ir) is frequently used, especially in print and online rather than verbally, to give commands to no one person in particular.

It is seen most commonly on signs and in written instructions.

Examples: No fumar. (No smoking.) Hacer clic aquí. (Click here.) No tocar. (Do not touch.) Sazonar los frijoles y servirlos en un plato. (Season the beans and serve them on a plate.) Colgar el teléfono y esperar. (Hang up the telephone and wait.)

The book is quoting a conversation, so it´s natural that the dialogue is presented this way, but for me it´s more natural to start these phrases with "A", ie: "A dejarlo pasar ahora (pues)" as is common in Mexico.............................. - 005faa61, May 26, 2015

............ It would be interesting to know when and where this book was written - 005faa61, May 26, 2015

Thanks, Bosque (and Julian). Interesting to see that this is actually a common way to do it. I'll edit my post with info about the book. What about the second case? - Manity, May 26, 2015

I think it is just reiteration- To see you, to look at you, right now. It is the same in English, the preceding is carried through implicitly there- what I would give to see you. :) - bosquederoble, May 26, 2015

Yes, exactly. The things a simple infinitive can be used for... :-) Thanks! - Manity, May 26, 2015

Yes, very common, recipies, road instructions all use this format. - annierats, May 30, 2015

Answer 2

I am sure that I have also seen this sign next to (at the right hand side on the wall) next to a lift in hotels in Spain:

No usar el.ascensor en caso de incendio

Do not use the lift in case of fire!

The infinitive form is often used in Spanish for general warnings!

The infinitive is also used in Spanish to talk about something in a general sense where the English would use the gerund form instead: swimm ing

Nadar es divertido = Swimming is fun!

I hope this helps

Answer 3

Answer 4

Worth a bump .