Breakdown of Corto el pollo con un cuchillo en la cocina.
la cocina
the kitchen
yo
I
en
in
con
with
un
a, an
el cuchillo
the knife
cortar
to cut
el pollo
the chicken
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Questions & Answers about Corto el pollo con un cuchillo en la cocina.
Why is corto used instead of estoy cortando?
Spanish often uses the simple present when English would use the present continuous. Corto el pollo can mean I cut the chicken or I’m cutting the chicken. To highlight that it’s happening right now, you could say estoy cortando el pollo, but corto el pollo is perfectly natural.
Why is yo omitted before corto?
The verb ending -o signals first person singular (I). Spanish typically drops subject pronouns because they’re redundant. You only include yo for emphasis or contrast (e.g. Yo corto, pero él fríe).
Why el pollo and not un pollo?
El pollo refers to a specific chicken both speaker and listener know. Use un pollo when you’re talking about any chicken or introducing it for the first time.
Why un cuchillo instead of el cuchillo?
Un cuchillo means a knife, one among many. El cuchillo means the knife, a particular one. Choose un for any knife, el for a specific knife known to both.
What does con mean in con un cuchillo?
Con corresponds to with in English. It marks the instrument you’re using—con un cuchillo literally means with a knife.
Why is it en la cocina and not a la cocina?
En indicates location (in), while a indicates direction or movement toward (to). Since you’re describing where the cutting happens, you use en la cocina.
Can I change the word order to En la cocina corto el pollo con un cuchillo?
Yes. Spanish word order is flexible. Starting with en la cocina emphasizes location but doesn’t change the action’s meaning.
How do I replace el pollo with a direct object pronoun?
Use lo for masculine singular. Place it before the conjugated verb: Lo corto con un cuchillo en la cocina.
Is it possible to omit articles and say Corto pollo con cuchillo en cocina?
No. Spanish normally requires articles before countable nouns. You need el or un before pollo, un before cuchillo, and la before cocina. Omitting them sounds ungrammatical.
How do I pronounce cuchillo, especially the ll?
In most of Latin America, ll and y sound like the English y in yes. So cuchillo is pronounced koo-CHEE-yo, with stress on the second syllable -chi-.