B2 · Unit 30 · 41 words, 3 texts with translation
Work with AI by the rules
Learn what's allowed and what isn't when you work with artificial intelligence: client data, fact-checking, copyright. Pass on the rules and ask "What am I allowed to do?"
Texts in this unit
Grammar in this unit
Allow, forbid, make: who does the action?
To say that someone lets you, doesn't let you or makes you do something, Spanish has two patterns, and you need both. English often translates them the same way.
1. Verb + person + infinitive. The person who is allowed is also the one who acts. This works like English "they let us use it", "they allow me to copy":
- La empresa nos deja usarla. — The company lets us use it.
- No me permiten copiar. — They don't allow me to copy.
- Mi jefa te prohíbe subir datos. — My boss forbids you to upload data.
2. Verb + que + subjunctive. The meaning is the same, but the person who acts is shown by the verb form after que:
- La empresa deja que la usemos. — The company lets us use it.
- No permiten que copiemos. — They don't allow us to copy.
- Mi jefa prohíbe que subas datos. — My boss forbids you to upload data.
| English | With an infinitive | With que |
|---|---|---|
| They let me in | Me dejan entrar | Dejan que entre |
| They don't allow us to copy | No nos permiten copiar | No permiten que copiemos |
| They forbid you to talk | Te prohíben hablar | Prohíben que hables |
| They've let you (plural) leave | Os han dejado salir | Han dejado que salgáis |
When que is easier. If the person who acts is named with words (la IA, los clientes, otros), que is the simplest choice and is always correct: No permito que la IA escriba la carta — I don't let the AI write the letter; No dejan que los clientes suban archivos — They don't let clients upload files.
Which pronoun. With permitir and prohibir, the person is me, te, le, nos, os, les: le prohíben salir — they forbid him to go out. With dejar it's the same for "me" and "you" (me dejan, te dejan), but for a third person in Spain you hear both lo dejan entrar and le dejan entrar — they let him in. Both are understood, so for now practice with me, te, nos, os.
"To make someone do something": obligar a. Here the person is a direct object (me, te, lo, la, nos, os, los, las), and a always comes before the infinitive:
- El jefe nos obliga a revisar cada resultado. — The boss makes us check every result.
- Mi jefa los obliga a pedir permiso. — My boss makes them ask for permission.
Impersonal, for signs and rules: No se permite subir datos. — Uploading data isn't allowed. Se prohíbe copiar. — Copying is prohibited.
Common mistakes:
- ✗ me permite para que use → me permite que use (now) or me permitió que usara (in the past, see the next block): no para here.
- ✗ no permiten que copiamos → no permiten que copiemos: after que you need the subjunctive, not the normal form.
- ✗ nos obligan copiar → nos obligan a copiar: obligar always takes a.
Allowed yesterday: a past verb changes the form after que
After dejar, permitir, prohibir and obligar a, the infinitive never changes: No nos dejan usar — They don't let us use it. No nos dejaron usar — They didn't let us use it. But the form after que depends on the tense of the first verb.
| When | With an infinitive | With que |
|---|---|---|
| Now | No nos deja usar la IA | No deja que usemos la IA |
| Yesterday (allowed it or not) | No nos dejó usar la IA | No dejó que usáramos la IA |
| In the past, as a habit | Antes no nos dejaban usarla | Antes no dejaban que la usáramos |
| Already happened, the result matters now | Nuria no nos ha dejado usarla | Nuria no ha dejado que la usemos |
| Tomorrow | Nuria no nos va a permitir usarla | Nuria no va a permitir que la usemos |
The rule. First verb in the preterite (dejó, permitió, prohibió) or the imperfect (dejaba, prohibían) → after que, the imperfect subjunctive: usáramos, pudiera, subiera. First verb in the present, the future or the present perfect (ha dejado) → after que, the present subjunctive: usemos, pueda, suba.
How to form it. Take the ellos form of the preterite, drop -ron and add -ra (that's why it's also called the -ra form): usaron → usara, usaras, usara, usáramos, usarais, usaran. For subir: subieron → subiera; for hacer: hicieron → hiciera (more in unit 13).
Examples:
- Mi jefa no permitió que usara el móvil. — My boss didn't let me use my phone.
- En mi escuela no dejaban que copiáramos. — At my school they didn't let us copy.
- Hoy Nuria no ha permitido que mandemos nada sin revisar. — Today Nuria didn't let us send anything without checking it.
- Mañana Nuria no dejará que lo publiquemos. — Tomorrow Nuria won't let us publish it.
Tip. If the imperfect subjunctive is hard to get right, switch to the infinitive: No permitió que usáramos la IA = No nos permitió usar la IA. The meaning is the same, and the infinitive never changes.
Words in this unit
la IA — AI, artificial intelligence
La IA nos ayuda a escribir más rápido. — AI helps us write faster.
inteligencia artificial — artificial intelligence
La inteligencia artificial cambia muchos trabajos. — Artificial intelligence is changing many jobs.
generar — to generate, to create
La IA genera una imagen en pocos segundos. — AI generates an image in a few seconds.
programar — to program, to schedule
Mi hermano programa aplicaciones para el móvil. — My brother programs apps for phones.
copiar — to copy, to cheat (on a test)
Copia el enlace y envíamelo. — Copy the link and send it to me.
automatizar — to automate
Queremos automatizar las tareas repetitivas. — We want to automate repetitive tasks.
citar — to cite, to quote, to give someone an appointment
Si copias una frase, tienes que citar al autor. — If you copy a sentence, you have to cite the author.
filtrar — to filter, to narrow down, to leak
Puedes filtrar los resultados por fecha. — You can filter the results by date.
suplantar — to impersonate
Un estafador suplantó la identidad de mi jefe. — A scammer impersonated my boss.
protección de datos — data protection
Antes de enviar el formulario, lee el aviso de protección de datos. — Before you send the form, read the data protection notice.
a ciegas — blindly, without checking
Nunca firmes nada a ciegas. — Never sign anything blindly.
a mano — by hand, at hand
Prefiero escribir las notas a mano. — I prefer to write notes by hand.
puesto de trabajo — workstation, job
Mi puesto de trabajo está junto a la ventana. — My workstation is next to the window.
a la larga — in the long run
A la larga, revisar el texto ahorra tiempo. — In the long run, checking the text saves time.
captura de pantalla — screenshot
Hazme una captura de pantalla del error. — Take a screenshot of the error for me.
derechos de autor — copyright
Esta foto tiene derechos de autor. — This photo is copyrighted.
copia de seguridad — backup
Haz una copia de seguridad antes de cambiar nada. — Make a backup before you change anything.
la privacidad — privacy
Cuida tu privacidad en las redes sociales. — Protect your privacy on social media.
el algoritmo — algorithm
El algoritmo me muestra siempre los mismos vídeos. — The algorithm always shows me the same videos.
el acceso — access, entry
No tengo acceso a ese archivo. — I don't have access to that file.
la búsqueda — search
Hice una búsqueda en internet y no encontré nada. — I did a search online and didn't find anything.
el/la asistente — assistant
Mi asistente virtual me recuerda las reuniones. — My virtual assistant reminds me about meetings.
el robot — robot
Un robot limpia el suelo mientras trabajo. — A robot cleans the floor while I work.
el eslogan — slogan
Necesitamos un eslogan para el folleto. — We need a slogan for the brochure.
el diseñador — designer
Mi hermana es diseñadora gráfica. — My sister is a graphic designer.
la creatividad — creativity
Este trabajo necesita mucha creatividad. — This job needs a lot of creativity.
el traductor — translator, translation app
El traductor automático entiende casi todo. — The machine translator understands almost everything.
la ilustración — illustration
El libro tiene ilustraciones preciosas. — The book has beautiful illustrations.
la desinformación — misinformation, disinformation
En internet hay mucha desinformación. — There's a lot of misinformation on the internet.
el estafador — scammer, con artist
Un estafador me llamó diciendo que era del banco. — A scammer called me saying he was from the bank.
el teclado — keyboard
Mi teclado no tiene la letra eñe. — My keyboard doesn't have the letter ñ.
el clic — click
Haz clic en el botón de enviar. — Click the send button.
el plagio — plagiarism
Copiar un texto sin citar al autor es plagio. — Copying a text without citing the author is plagiarism.
digital — digital
Prefiero los libros digitales. — I prefer digital books.
virtual — virtual
Tenemos una reunión virtual a las cuatro. — We have a virtual meeting at four.
tecnológico — technological, tech
Trabajo en una empresa tecnológica. — I work at a tech company.
ético — ethical
No es ético copiar el trabajo de otra persona. — It isn't ethical to copy someone else's work.
repetitivo — repetitive
Es un trabajo repetitivo y aburrido. — It's a repetitive, boring job.
anónimo — anonymous
Recibí un mensaje anónimo. — I got an anonymous message.
la fuente — source
La noticia no tiene fuente. — The news story has no source.
la comunicación — communication
La comunicación en el equipo es muy buena. — Communication on the team is very good.
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