Abstract.This article argues in favor of base‐generating secondary predicates and the verbal arguments with which they are coindexed inside the lexical maximal projection VP in Spanish, confirming Roberts (1988) analysis of secondary predicates in English. Under this hypothesis, object oriented (O‐) predicates are generated inside the c‐domain of the verb as sisters to the internal argument, whereas subject oriented (S‐) predicates attach to VP as sisters to the external argument in [Spec, V]. Hence, O‐predicates are governed by the verb, while S‐predicates are neither governed nor in Spec‐head agreement with the verb. Based on this asymmetry, I propose that traces of movement must be identified at s‐structure via lexical government or Spec|head agreement with a lexical category. Traces in [Spec, V](i. e. subjects) or in [NP, V] (i. e. objects) may be licensed via lexical government or lexical Spec‐head agreement or by being part of a chian governed by or in Spec‐head agreement with a lexical head. A so, traces of O‐predicates may be governed by the lexical head, hence they are licensed as required. On the other hand, since S‐predicates are neither governed by nor in Spec‐head agreement with a lexical head, traces in S‐predicate position fail to be licensed, thus accounting for the impossibility of