Breakdown of Limpio la mesa con un paño suave.
yo
I
con
with
la mesa
the table
limpiar
to clean
un
a
el paño
the cloth
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Questions & Answers about Limpio la mesa con un paño suave.
Why is the verb written as limpio instead of limpia?
In Spanish, limpio is the present tense of the verb limpiar for yo (I). If you said limpia, that would either be the third-person singular form (he/she cleans) or the formal second-person singular (you clean).
Why is the article la used before mesa?
The Spanish word mesa (table) is a feminine noun, so you use the feminine article la to match it. In Spanish, all nouns have a gender, and the article (el, la) must agree with the noun’s gender.
What does con mean in this context?
Con in Spanish typically means “with.” It indicates that you are using something—in this case, a soft cloth—to clean the table.
Why do we say un paño suave and not una paño suave?
Although mesa is feminine, paño (cloth) is a masculine noun. Hence, the article must be the masculine un.
Does suave change depending on whether paño is masculine or feminine?
No, suave is an adjective that has the same form for both masculine and feminine nouns. Some Spanish adjectives change based on gender (e.g., bonito/bonita), but suave remains the same.