探偵を託して写真を全部渡したのが間違いでした。
It was a mistake to entrust all the pictures to that detective.
It feels unnatural to me to mark 探偵 as thing being entrusted with 探偵を, rather than as the receipt of the thing being entrusted to with 探偵に.
I think the example sentence should be:
探偵に託して写真を全部渡したのが間違いでした。
I also got told the original example sentence (with を) was unnatural by a native speaker. I’m just looking for a second opinion in case anyone knows of a niche situation or something where 探偵を託す would make sense.
In Japanese, the particles used with verbs can alter the meaning of the sentence significantly, especially in terms of specifying roles and actions. Let’s examine the differences between 探偵に託して (tantei ni takushite) and 探偵を託して (tantei o takushite):
探偵に託して (tantei ni takushite)
Particle Usage: “に” (ni)
Meaning: “to entrust to the detective”
This construction uses the particle “に” which indicates the indirect object or the recipient of an action. It is used here to specify to whom something (like responsibility, a task, or an object) is being entrusted.
Context: This phrase is appropriate when you are handing off a responsibility or a task to the detective. The focus is on the detective being the receiver of the action.
探偵を託して (tantei o takushite)
Particle Usage: “を” (o)
Meaning: “entrusting the detective” or “making the detective an entrusted entity”
The use of the particle “を” with 託す (takusu) is less common and can initially seem unusual because 託す typically pairs with “に” to indicate the direction of the entrusted matter. However, when used, it can imply that the detective himself is being entrusted as part of, or alongside, a responsibility.
Context: This could imply that in addition to entrusting a particular task or item, the detective as a person or as a professional is being wholly entrusted, possibly suggesting a broader scope of entrustment.
In practice, 探偵に託して is the more conventional and frequently used phrase, correctly following common grammatical structuring by pairing 託す with に to give a clear directional focus of the action of entrusting to someone. 探偵を託して seems syntactically less typical unless there is a contextual expansion that justifies using the detective as a direct object of entrustment.
Thus, choosing between these depends significantly on the specific nuances you wish to imply in your statement regarding the nature of the entrustment to the detective.