Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Sirvo el té en una taza blanca que compré en la plaza. - I serve the tea in a white cup that I bought at the plaza.

In Spanish the subject pronoun yo (“I”) is usually omitted because the verb ending -o already tells you it’s 1st person singular. Saying yo sirvo is grammatically correct but redundant in everyday speech.

What tense and person is sirvo in?

Sirvo is the present indicative, 1st person singular of servir (“to serve”). It literally means “I serve.”

Why do we say el té instead of just té?

Spanish often uses the definite article with general or abstract nouns. El té here means “tea” in a general sense. Dropping the article (sirvo té) would sound odd or imply you serve some unspecified tea.

Why does té have an accent?

The accent on té (tea) distinguishes it from the object pronoun te (“you/yourself”). It also marks the stressed syllable according to Spanish accent rules.

Why is the preposition en used with sirvo?

Spanish uses en to indicate location or container. Sirvo el té en una taza = “I serve the tea in a cup.” You’re placing the tea inside the cup, so en is the correct choice.

Could we use another preposition, like a?

No. A expresses direction toward something (“go to the plaza”) but not being inside. Here the tea ends up inside the cup, so you need en.

Why is the adjective blanca after taza?

Most descriptive adjectives in Spanish follow the noun. Una taza blanca is the normal word order. Putting it before (blanca taza) would sound poetic, very old-fashioned, or emphatic.

Why do we need una before taza? Could we say just taza blanca?

Spanish requires a determiner (article, possessor, etc.) with singular countable nouns. You can’t say taza blanca alone; you need una taza blanca (a white cup) or la taza blanca (the white cup).

Why is the word que used before compré? What about la que?

Que is the simple relative pronoun for “that/which” and can refer to things or people. Since the antecedent (taza) is clear, que suffices. Using la que (“the one that”) is possible for extra emphasis or to avoid ambiguity, but it’s longer and unnecessary here.

Why is compré in the preterite tense rather than the imperfect?

The preterite (compré) expresses a completed action at a specific time/place (you bought it in the plaza). The imperfect would describe ongoing past actions or background (“I was buying cups”), which isn’t intended here.

Why is it en la plaza and not a la plaza when talking about buying?

When you buy something, you do it at a location. In Spanish that’s en. A la plaza would imply movement toward the plaza (“I’m going to the plaza”), not the act of buying there.

Could you add yo and still be correct? (“Yo sirvo el té…”)

Yes. Yo sirvo el té en una taza blanca que compré en la plaza is grammatically fine. You’d only include yo for emphasis (“I, specifically, serve the tea…”), though it’s usually dropped.