El desayuno está en la mesa.

to be

Breakdown of El desayuno está en la mesa.

• en: on
• la mesa: the table
• el desayuno: the breakfast

Questions & Answers about El desayuno está en la mesa.

Why do we use está instead of es in this sentence?

Está comes from the verb estar, which is typically used to indicate location or a temporary state. In this sentence, you're stating where the breakfast is (on the table). By contrast, es (from ser) is used to describe permanent characteristics or identity.

Why is it el desayuno and not la desayuno?

Desayuno is a masculine noun in Spanish, so it takes the masculine article el. The fact that it is a meal doesn’t change its grammatical gender; it simply happens to be masculine.

Why is the definite article el used for breakfast here?

In Spanish, you normally use the definite article with nouns to specify a particular instance or concept. Since you're talking about the breakfast that you’re about to eat or have prepared, you say el desayuno rather than using an indefinite article.

What does en mean in this context?

In this sentence, en means on or at the location of the table. It can also mean in or inside in different contexts, but here it indicates placement or position.

Why do we say la mesa instead of just mesa?

In Spanish, you generally use the article with nouns, whether definite (la) or indefinite (una), to indicate them clearly. Saying la mesa highlights that you have a specific table in mind, rather than any table in general.