FundéuRAE clarifies pronoun usage with 'prender fuego'

The Foundation of Urgent Spanish (FundéuRAE), a collaboration between the EFE Agency and the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), has addressed a common point of confusion regarding the phrase 'prender fuego,' meaning 'to set fire.' The foundation clarified the correct usage of pronouns when referring to the object being burned.

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In general Spanish, it is customary to understand that in 'prender fuego a algo' the direct object is 'fuego,' so the complement indicating what is burned is expressed by the pronoun 'le(s)': 'Le prendió fuego (a la leña)'.

In standard Spanish, when someone 'sets fire' to something, the indirect object pronoun 'le' is typically used to indicate what is being burned. For example, 'Le prendió fuego a la leña' (He set fire to the firewood). This construction treats 'fuego' as the direct object and 'leña' as the indirect object.

However, FundéuRAE notes that in the Rioplatense region, which includes Argentina and Uruguay, 'prender fuego' is often treated as a single, inseparable verb phrase. In this regional usage, the direct object pronouns 'lo' or 'la' are employed to refer to the item being burned. An example would be 'La prendió fuego a la leña,' where 'la' refers to the firewood. The foundation considers both usages to be correct, acknowledging regional linguistic variations.

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However, in the Rioplatense area, 'prender fuego' is used as a unitary expression and for what is burned, the pronouns 'lo(s)' and 'la(s)' are used: 'La prendió fuego (a la leña)'.

FundéuRAE's mission is to promote the proper use of the Spanish language in media. The foundation regularly publishes explanations on grammar, vocabulary, and style to help journalists and the public communicate more effectively.

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Therefore, all examples are considered correct.