Breakdown of El anillo es especial porque también sirve de brújula en la isla.
ser
to be
en
in
porque
because
especial
special
también
also
la isla
the island
el anillo
the ring
servir de
to serve as
la brújula
the compass
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Questions & Answers about El anillo es especial porque también sirve de brújula en la isla.
Why is el used before anillo?
In Spanish, you generally need a definite article before a singular, specific noun. El means “the,” so el anillo is “the ring.” Leaving out the article (just anillo) would sound unnatural unless you’re using it as a title or label.
Why do we say es especial and not está especial?
Spanish uses ser vs. estar to express different kinds of “to be.”
- Ser (es) for inherent or permanent qualities.
- Estar (está) for temporary states or locations.
Since being “special” is treated as an inherent property of the ring here, we use es especial.
What’s the difference between porque, por qué, por que, and porqué?
- porque (one word): conjunction meaning “because.”
- por qué (two words, accent on qué): used in questions, “why?”
- por que (two words, no accent): rare; appears in constructions like “la razón por que…” (“the reason for which…”).
- porqué (one word, accent on é): a noun meaning “the reason” (e.g., el porqué).
Here we need the conjunction porque (“because”).
What does servir de mean in sirve de brújula? Could we use servir como instead?
- servir de
- noun means “to serve as” or “to function as.”
- servir como can also mean “to serve as,” but servir de is more idiomatic when describing an object doing double duty.
So sirve de brújula literally means “it serves as a compass.”
Why is también placed between porque and sirve?
Adverbs like también (“also”) usually go right before the verb they modify. Placing it before sirve emphasizes the additional function. You could say porque sirve también de brújula, but porque también sirve de brújula is more common and feels more natural.
Why do we use en la isla instead of just en isla?
When referring to a specific place, Spanish requires the definite article. English speakers say “on the island,” and Spanish mirrors that with en la isla. Omitting la would be grammatically incorrect here.
In “porque también sirve de brújula,” where is the subject for sirve? Why isn’t it repeated?
The subject el anillo carries over from the first clause. Spanish allows you to omit repeated subjects when the verb ending makes it clear. Sirve is 3rd person singular, so we know it still refers to el anillo.