Breakdown of El profesor bromea con los estudiantes en la clase.
en
in
con
with
el estudiante
the student
el profesor
the teacher
la clase
the class
bromear
to joke
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Questions & Answers about El profesor bromea con los estudiantes en la clase.
What does bromear con mean in this sentence?
The verb bromear means “to joke” or “to tease,” and the preposition con introduces the person you’re joking with. So bromea con translates as “he jokes with” or “he teases along with.”
Why is con necessary here instead of using a direct object?
In Spanish, bromear is intransitive when referring to joking with someone. You don’t say bromear a alguien, you use bromear con alguien. The con signals “with whom” the action is happening.
What tense and person is bromea?
Bromea is the third-person singular present indicative form of bromear. It means “he jokes,” “she jokes,” or “it jokes.”
Why is there a definite article in los estudiantes? Could we just say estudiantes?
Spanish normally uses the definite article (el, la, los, las) before general or known groups. Los estudiantes means “the students” as a specific group. Omitting the article would sound less natural here.
Could we use durante la clase instead of en la clase?
Yes, you could say El profesor bromea con los estudiantes durante la clase.
- En la clase emphasizes location (“in class”).
- Durante la clase emphasizes time (“during class”).
Can we move en la clase to the beginning of the sentence?
Absolutely. Spanish word order is flexible. You can say:
En la clase, el profesor bromea con los estudiantes.
It still means the same thing, but starting with En la clase adds a bit of emphasis on when/where it happens.
What’s the difference between bromear con and bromear sobre?
- Bromear con alguien = to joke around with someone (the person you’re interacting with).
- Bromear sobre algo = to make jokes about a topic or subject (what you’re joking about).
Could this be reflexive, like El profesor se bromea?
No. Bromear is not reflexive in the sense of “joking with.” There is no se bromea meaning “jokes himself.” To joke with someone, stick with bromear con alguien.