Causative constructions organize the sentence around a causer (the subject causing the action), a causative verb, and a verbal complement or a subordinate clause. In the canonical order of a declarative sentence, the subject occupies the first position, the verb the second, the direct object or the complement clause follows the verb, and circumstantial complements typically close the sequence according to Word Order. Subject–verb agreement keeps clear the relation between the causer and the caused, as systematized in Subject–Verb Agreement.

Make That introduces a completive subordinate clause and expresses that the subject causes, enables or triggers a state or an action. The choice between subjunctive and indicative depends on the verb, the semantic value, and the context, in relation to Subordinate Clauses. This construction is especially useful when the speaker wants to present the result as propositional content rather than simply as a direct action.

Make + infinitive forms a periphrastic causative in which the subject causes the realization of an action by another participant or by the context. It is typically more direct and common in colloquial speech, and it focuses on the action performed rather than the subordinate clause. When clitic pronouns appear, their placement follows the general rules of the verbal structure and word order.

Let + infinitive expresses permission, tolerance, or absence of impediment, and it differs from hacer in that it does not obligate nor actively produce the action. This construction preserves a sense of authorization or release of the action and can combine with complements that identify the person authorized. In contrast with other causatives, the emphasis is on allowing something to occur.

Commanding and ordering introduce a causative of authority in which a superior subject or institution with power demands the execution of an action. These constructions are usually combined with a second person and an infinitive, which makes visible the recipient of the order and the content requested. Their pragmatic value is more imperative than that of hacer or dejar, and it fits well with formal, military, or hierarchical contexts.

Achieving That presents the result as something obtained through effort, persistence or difficulty, hence requiring the subjunctive in the subordinate clause. Compared to Make That, this structure emphasizes the attainment of the effect rather than its mere provocation, and is often preferred in formal registers or when the process is to be highlighted. The relation between the main and the subordinate clause is organized according to Subordinate Clauses.

The causative passive with hacer + participle presents a resulting state produced on an object or an affected entity, while the periphrastic causative with hacer + infinitive centers attention on the induced action. In practice, the former emphasizes the resulting state and the latter the action performed. The choice depends on the meaning to be highlighted and the relationship between the causer and the affected participant.

In causatives, negation is not placed before the auxiliary or the causative verb to negate the entire causal relation, and interrogative words are placed according to the type of question and the clause structure. The subordinate clause preserves its internal structure, but polarity and question affect the main clause. These distributions follow the general guidelines of Word Order.

Clitic pronouns can appear before the conjugated verb or attached to the infinitive depending on the causative form and the syntactic position. Their placement depends on the verbal structure and whether the focus is on the causer, the affected participant, or the action caused. This alternation should be analyzed together with the completive construction and with the structure of verbal periphrases in Verbal Periphrases.

Spanish causatives are organized around a causer, a verb expressing the causal relation and a complement that can be an infinitive, a subordinate clause, or a participle depending on the desired effect. Make That, Make + infinitive, Let, Mandar and Lograr That form a network of options in which the degree of control, permission, authority, result and register vary. Understanding these alternations depends on sentence structure, agreement, word order and clitic placement, which allows interpreting and producing causality with precision.