Breakdown of Los niños saltan en el patio mientras esperan el almuerzo; a ellos les encanta jugar así.
en
in
ellos
they
el almuerzo
the lunch
encantar
to love
mientras
while
el patio
the yard
jugar
to play
el niño
the child
ellos
them
esperar
to wait
saltar
to jump
;
semicolon
así
this way
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Questions & Answers about Los niños saltan en el patio mientras esperan el almuerzo; a ellos les encanta jugar así.
What does mientras mean and why is it used in this sentence?
Mientras means "while". It’s a subordinating conjunction that shows two actions are happening at the same time—in this case, the children are jumping in the yard as they wait for lunch.
Why does the sentence include both the indirect object pronoun les and the phrase a ellos in a ellos les encanta jugar así?
In Spanish it’s common to pair an indirect object pronoun with an explicit noun or pronoun (like a ellos) for emphasis and clarity. Even though les already indicates “to them,” adding a ellos makes it clear that it’s the children who love playing that way.
What is the function of the semicolon in this sentence?
The semicolon separates two closely related independent clauses. The first clause details the children’s actions (jumping in the yard while waiting for lunch), and the second clause highlights their enjoyment of playing that way. It links the ideas while giving each clause its own focus.
How are the verbs saltan, esperan, and encanta conjugated, and why is encanta in the singular form?
Both saltan and esperan are in the simple present tense, third-person plural form to agree with los niños. Encanta appears in the third-person singular because its logical subject is the activity expressed by the infinitive jugar (playing), which is treated as a singular concept in Spanish.
How does the preposition en function in the phrase en el patio, and is its usage similar to English?
En indicates the location where an action takes place, much like "in" or "on" in English. In en el patio, it specifies that the children are jumping in the yard or playground area.
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