Mi mamá me enseña a cocinar comidas muy ricas.

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Breakdown of Mi mamá me enseña a cocinar comidas muy ricas.

• muy: very
• la mamá: the mom
• me: me
• a: to
• cocinar: to cook
• enseñar: to teach
• la comida: the meal
• rico: delicious

Questions & Answers about Mi mamá me enseña a cocinar comidas muy ricas.

Why do we use me before enseña in this sentence?

In Spanish, me is the indirect object pronoun that indicates to whom the teaching is being directed. So, mi mamá me enseña literally means my mom teaches me. The me makes it clear that you are the recipient of the teaching action.

Why is there an a before cocinar?

In Spanish, certain verbs (like enseñar, aprender, and empezar) typically use the preposition a before an infinitive. So, we say enseñar a cocinar for to teach (someone) to cook.

Why do we say cocinar comidas if cooking is already implied?

While it’s somewhat repetitive in English to say to cook meals, in Spanish it’s common to specify comidas (literally meals or foods) after cocinar, especially for emphasis or clarity. It also conveys the idea of preparing dishes, rather than just cooking in general.

What is the difference between muy and mucho in this context?

Muy is an adverb meaning very, used before adjectives or other adverbs (for example, muy sabroso = very tasty). Mucho can mean much, a lot, or many, and it generally modifies nouns or verbs. Here, muy modifies the adjective ricas, so muy ricas = very tasty.

Is there a more formal or different way to say mamá in Spanish?

Yes, you can use madre if you want to be more formal or if the context calls for it. However, in everyday speech in Latin America, mamá is more common and affectionate. You could say Mi madre me enseña a cocinar for a more formal tone, but Mi mamá me enseña a cocinar is perfectly natural in casual conversation.