Spanish Phrase
Puedes hacerle preguntas al autor.
Meaning
‘You can ask the author questions.’ The construction ‘hacerle preguntas’ is a common way to say ‘to ask someone questions’, emphasizing the act of formulating the questions rather than just the verb ‘preguntar’.
When to use
Use this sentence when you want to give someone permission or suggest that they take the opportunity to speak directly with an author – for example at a book signing, a classroom discussion, or an online Q&A session.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Puedeshacerlepreguntasalautor
Poder (present)
‘Puedes’ is the second‑person singular present of poder, used to express ability or permission.
Clitic pronoun with infinitive
‘hacerle’ combines the infinitive ‘hacer’ with the indirect object pronoun ‘le’; the pronoun is attached before the infinitive.
Noun plural
‘preguntas’ is the plural form of ‘pregunta’, meaning ‘questions’.
Contraction ‘al’
‘al’ = a + el, the preposition ‘to/at’ plus the masculine singular article.
Noun ‘autor’
‘autor’ means ‘author’; it is masculine singular, so the article ‘el’ is used.
🗨In Conversation
¿Tienes alguna duda sobre el libro?
Do you have any doubts about the book?
Sí, puedes hacerle preguntas al autor después de la presentación.
Yes, you can ask the author questions after the presentation.
✕Common Mistakes
Puedes preguntar al autor.
Missing the indirect object pronoun ‘le’; the correct form is ‘preguntarle’ or ‘hacerle preguntas’.
Puedes hacer preguntas al autor.
Without ‘le’ the sentence sounds incomplete; the pronoun is required to indicate who receives the questions.
Puedes hacerle preguntas al autores.
Article and noun must agree in number; ‘al autor’ is singular, ‘a los autores’ is plural.
↔Alternatives
Puedes preguntarle al autor.
You can ask the author.
Puedes formularle preguntas al autor.
You can formulate questions to the author.
Puedes interrogar al autor.
You can interrogate the author.
Cultural Tip
In many Spanish‑speaking contexts, especially formal ones, it’s polite to use the indirect object pronoun ‘le’ (or ‘les’ for plural) when asking questions. ‘Hacerle preguntas’ sounds a bit more formal than the simpler ‘preguntarle’. Also, remember to match the article with the gender of the noun – ‘al autor’ (masculine) vs. ‘a la autora’ (feminine).