Si quieres mandar una postal, escoge una bonita y ponle un mensaje breve.

you

Breakdown of Si quieres mandar una postal, escoge una bonita y ponle un mensaje breve.

• y: and
• si: if
• querer: to want
• una: a
• el mensaje: the message
• bonito: pretty
• la postal: the postcard
• breve: short
• ,: comma
• mandar: to send
• escoger: to choose
• ponerle: to put on it

Questions & Answers about Si quieres mandar una postal, escoge una bonita y ponle un mensaje breve.

What is the structure of the sentence "Si quieres mandar una postal, escoge una bonita y ponle un mensaje breve." and how are the commands formed?

The sentence begins with a conditional clause ("Si quieres mandar una postal") which sets a condition using the present tense. It is followed by two imperative commands ("escoge una bonita" and "ponle un mensaje breve") that instruct the listener on what to do if the condition is met. Both commands use the informal tú form, with the subject being implied rather than explicitly stated.

What does mandar mean in this context, and how is it different from enviar?

In this context, mandar means "to send." Although mandar and enviar both mean "to send," mandar is more colloquial and widely used in many Latin American countries. Enviar might be considered slightly more formal in some contexts.

In "ponle un mensaje breve," what role does the pronoun le play?

The pronoun le is an indirect object pronoun that refers back to the postcard mentioned earlier. It indicates that the message should be put on the postcard. This usage is common in Spanish when an object that receives the action (in this case, the postcard) is already understood from context, making the sentence both concise and clear.

Why does the sentence say "escoge una bonita" instead of repeating "postal" to form "escoge una postal bonita"?

Since the noun postal has already been mentioned at the beginning of the sentence, it is not repeated in the command. The phrase "una bonita" is understood to refer to "a pretty postcard" without redundancy. This use of ellipsis is common in Spanish, where context allows the speaker to omit previously stated information.

How would you modify the sentence to use formal commands instead of informal ones?

To change the sentence to a formal tone, you would adjust the verbs to the Usted form. The sentence would become:
"Si desea mandar una postal, escoja una bonita y póngale un mensaje breve."
Here, desea replaces quieres, escoja replaces escoge, and póngale replaces ponle, reflecting the formal imperative.

What can I learn about the use of imperatives and indirect object pronouns from this sentence?

This sentence is a good example of combining a conditional clause with a set of direct commands. It shows how the informal imperative is used (with verbs like escoge and ponle) and how indirect object pronouns (like le) are employed to refer to an object mentioned earlier (the postcard). Understanding this structure helps illustrate how Spanish efficiently conveys instructions while avoiding repetition by relying on context and pronoun use.