Log inSign up

La hoja está en la mesa.

La hoja está en la mesa.
The leaf is on the table.
FromLesson 17inHardcore Spanish (Latin America)

Breakdown of La hoja está en la mesa.

en
in
estar
to be
la mesa
the table
la hoja
the leaf

Questions & Answers about La hoja está en la mesa.

Why is the article la used with hoja instead of el?
In Spanish every noun is either masculine or feminine. Hoja ends in -a, which is the typical ending for feminine nouns. Therefore it takes the feminine definite article la. (There are exceptions like el día or el mapa, but hoja isn’t one of them.)
How can I tell that hoja and mesa are feminine?
A handy rule of thumb is that most nouns ending in -a are feminine. Since both hoja and mesa end in -a, you pair them with la (singular) or las (plural). Always watch out for the few exceptions—you’ll learn those as you go.
Why is the verb in the sentence está and not es?
Spanish has two verbs that translate as “to be”: ser and estar. You use estar for locations and temporary states. Since you’re describing where the leaf (hoja) is physically located, you choose está (the third-person singular of estar) rather than es.
Why does está have an accent mark? What happens if I drop it?
The accent on está marks both the correct stress (on the last syllable) and distinguishes it from esta (which means “this,” as in esta hoja = “this sheet/leaf”). If you drop the accent, your reader might think you’re using the demonstrative adjective esta instead of the verb form está.
Why is the preposition en used here? Are there other options to say “on” the table?
En is the general preposition for “in” or “on.” To be more specific, you could also say sobre la mesa or encima de la mesa, both meaning “on the table.” However, en is perfectly natural and by far the most common for simple location phrases.
Can I change the word order to En la mesa está la hoja? Would that sound correct?
Yes, that’s grammatically correct, and it simply shifts the emphasis. Starting with En la mesa focuses on the location first. Both La hoja está en la mesa and En la mesa está la hoja are acceptable; the nuance lies in what you want to highlight.
How do I pronounce hoja? What sound does the j make in Latin American Spanish?
In Latin American Spanish, j is pronounced like a strong English h. So hoja sounds like HO-ha, with a clear breathy h on the second syllable. The stress falls on the first syllable: HO-ja.
Why don’t hoja and mesa have accent marks, but está does?
Spanish accent rules say that words ending in a vowel, n, or s are stressed on the second-to-last syllable by default. Hoja (HO-ja) and mesa (ME-sa) already follow that rule, so they need no written accent. Está, however, ends in a vowel but is stressed on the last syllable (es-TÁ), so it must carry an accent mark to show the exception.
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“How does verb conjugation work in Spanish?”
Spanish verbs change form based on the subject, tense, and mood. Regular verbs follow predictable patterns depending on whether they end in ‑ar, ‑er, or ‑ir. For example, "hablar" (to speak) becomes "hablo" (I speak), "hablas" (you speak), and "habla" (he/she speaks) in the present tense.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Spanish

Master Spanish — from La hoja está en la mesa to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.

  • ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Start learning Spanish freeBrowse the full course