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Why is "les" being used here?

 

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  #1  
Old March 08, 2022, 03:50 PM
createdamadman createdamadman is offline
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Why is "les" being used here?

So I'm reading this short story where people are choosing characters to play in a board game, and have the following exchange:





Person 1: ¨Hmm, me gusta ayudar a la gente, pero no sé si un hechicero es lo correcto para mí.¨

Person 2: ¨Entonces, ¿qué les parece un explorador? Un explorador vive en el bosque con los animales.¨


The part that confuses me is "qué les parece". I get that this is basically "how does this seem to you" which is like saying "how about"/"what about", but I don't understand why "les" is used instead of "le". I can provide more context from the story if needed, but person 2 is only addressing person 1 and no one else. Is this an error or am I missing something?
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  #2  
Old March 08, 2022, 06:19 PM
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I don't see a reason for using the plural indirect object pronoun, especially if you're certain that ONLY two persons are involved in this conversation.

Person number 1 was definitely expressing their opinion about a character.
Perhaps far-fetched, but maybe Person number 2 has the idea that there are people choosing (not just the one who expressed an opinion, who may be just a spokesperson for some of the people) and has responded to the person as if speaking to all in the group (you mentioned 'people are choosing characters' in your introductory paragraph).

If none of that holds water (if you're certain ONLY two people are choosing characters), then you've discovered a grammatical error. Native speakers make mistakes while speaking Spanish. Printers make mistakes, too.
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Old March 08, 2022, 06:31 PM
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You are right. It seems like a mistake. If it is in response to one person, clearly le is the
pronoun that makes sense.
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