Con este cuchillo desafilado es difícil rebanar el pan, así que compraré uno nuevo.

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Breakdown of Con este cuchillo desafilado es difícil rebanar el pan, así que compraré uno nuevo.

• ser: to be
• yo: I
• con: with
• nuevo: new
• comprar: to buy
• difícil: difficult
• así que: so
• ,: comma
• el cuchillo: the knife
• rebanar: to slice
• el pan: the bread
• uno: one

Questions & Answers about Con este cuchillo desafilado es difícil rebanar el pan, así que compraré uno nuevo.

What does desafilado mean in this sentence?

Desafilado means "not sharp" or "dull." It describes the knife, indicating that its edge is no longer sharp, which is why it’s difficult to slice the bread.

What is the meaning of rebanar and how is it different from simply “cutting” something?

Rebanar means "to slice"—specifically to cut something, like bread, into thin, even pieces. Unlike the general verb cortar (to cut), rebanar implies a smooth, uniform slicing action.

How does the connector así que function in the sentence?

The phrase así que functions as a conjunction meaning "so" or "therefore." It connects the two parts of the sentence by showing that because it’s difficult to slice the bread with the dull knife, the speaker has decided to buy a new one.

Why is the subject omitted in the verb compraré?

Spanish is a pro-drop language, meaning that the subject pronoun can be omitted because the verb conjugation (in this case, compraré, indicating first-person singular in the future tense) already makes it clear who is performing the action. Adding “yo” would be redundant.

What does uno refer to in the phrase compraré uno nuevo?

Uno is a pronoun that replaces the previously mentioned noun, cuchillo. Instead of repeating “cuchillo” again, Spanish uses uno to mean "one (new knife)."

Why does the adjective desafilado come after the noun cuchillo in Spanish, and how is this different from English?

In Spanish, adjectives typically follow the noun they modify, which is why desafilado comes after cuchillo. In English, adjectives usually precede the noun (“dull knife”), so the placement is reversed. This is a common structural difference between the two languages.