Pronoun confusion...

Question

So I have been studying in Spain for a few months, and I watched the movie Vicky Christina Barcelona, and in one scene Penelope Cruz says... "Sabia que nos la ibas a jugar" to Scarlett Johanssen... and everything there makes sense except the "la"...why exactly is that there, and why would it still be "la" if she was speaking to a male(my friends said it would always be la)...just a bit confusing...I can't grasp why she couldn't say "Sabia que nos ibas a jugar"... also if you watch the scene...i dont know exactly what she says directly after...something like "Y nos la has jugado" or something...just a line thats bugging me!

Oh and here is the scene... good acting! ... http://www.youtube.com/watch'v=14sIGOwjwQs&feature=channel_page the lines are at about 40 seconds...

I'm horrible with my la lo le's and such...just wanted some insight...Thanks in advance...

Answer 1

It is correct, but I probably should have chosen a more common one (or not exclusively British, at least):

d. Also absol. in phrase to do the dirty: to play a dirty trick.
1914 Daily Express 13 Nov. 514 The Germans have been 'doing the dirty? on us by donning khaki and kilts to approach our trenches. 1915 D. O. Barnett Lett. 157, I hope our friends the 133rd will..do the dirty on their Prussian friends. 1929 J. B. Priestley Good Comp. iii. v. 607 Anyhow they did the dirty on yer. 1930 R. H. Mottram Europa's Beast xii. 282 If you've been doing the dirty on my friends. 1942 G. Kersh Nine Lives Bill Nelson iii. 15 It took me to do the dirty on him.
© Oxford English Dictionary

do the dirty on somebody British English (=treat someone in a way that is unfair or dishonest)
© Longman Dictionary.

Answer 2

"Jugársela a alguien" (to do the dirty on someone)

I think this idiom is not the correct one, it should be:

'Idiom

1. do (someone) dirty, Slang. to treat unfairly or reprehensibly, as by cheating or slandering.

I wonder if somebody can confirm.

Answer 3

There are certain constructions in Spanish that require always two pronouns, and one of them doesn't seem to make reference to anything in particular, although maybe originally (centuries ago) it actually meant something. In some grammars they are called "construcciones doblemente pronominales" (double pronoun constructions).

"Jugársela a alguien" (to do the dirty on someone) is one of those constructions, and that "la" is the parasitic pronoun that you just have to use if you want to use this idiom. Remove the pronoun, and suddenly "jugar" is not part of an idiom, and means "to play (games, etc.)" again.

(Yo) Te la juego
(Yo) Se la juego
(Yo) Os la juego
(Yo) Se la juego

(Tú) me la juegas
(Tú) se la juegas
(Tú) nos la juegas

etc.

In the dictionary, it appears as a fixed idiom:

jugársela, o jugárselas a alguien.
1. loc. verb. Comportarse con él mal o de modo desleal.
Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados

Ah, the dictionary reminded me that this idiom can use "la" or "las", depending on which one you like best, but remember that this pronoun does not agree with anything in the sentence.

Answer 4

I think the la refers to what he was going to play.
Sabia que nos la ibas a jugar
She knew that you were going to play It for us or going to play us it.

Wild guess I'm a novice just like you