Breakdown of Cuando la cena está lista, me gusta poner la mesa con flores.
yo
I
con
with
estar
to be
la mesa
the table
gustar
to like
cuando
when
la cena
the dinner
listo
ready
me
to me
poner
to set
la flor
the flower
Questions & Answers about Cuando la cena está lista, me gusta poner la mesa con flores.
Why is it "está lista" and not "está listo"?
In Spanish, adjectives must agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe. Since la cena is a feminine noun, we use the feminine form lista rather than the masculine listo.
Why do we say "la cena" with the article?
Spanish often uses the definite article in front of nouns to talk about them in a general or specific sense. Saying la cena is the natural, commonly accepted way to refer to dinner in Spanish, whether it’s a specific meal or the concept of dinner in general.
What does "poner la mesa" literally mean, and why does it translate as "to set the table"?
Literally, poner la mesa means "to put the table." However, in Spanish, this is the standard expression for "to set the table." It's an idiomatic phrase, so we translate it according to its usage, not just the literal words.
Why do we say "con flores" at the end?
Using con flores ("with flowers") highlights that you like to decorate or adorn the table by adding flowers. The preposition con simply indicates that you are placing or including flowers along with your table settings.
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“How does verb conjugation work in Spanish?”
Spanish verbs change form based on the subject, tense, and mood. Regular verbs follow predictable patterns depending on whether they end in ‑ar, ‑er, or ‑ir. For example, "hablar" (to speak) becomes "hablo" (I speak), "hablas" (you speak), and "habla" (he/she speaks) in the present tense.
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