El pescador descansa en la orilla del mar.

The fisherman rests on the shore of the sea.

Breakdown of El pescador descansa en la orilla del mar.

• en: in
• de: of
• descansar: to rest
• el mar: the sea

Questions & Answers about El pescador descansa en la orilla del mar.

Why is el used before pescador?

In Spanish, most singular, countable nouns need a definite article when you’re talking about a specific person or thing. Here, el pescador means “the fisherman.” Unlike English, you can’t usually drop the article before an occupation or role when you mean a particular individual. So you say el pescador (“the fisherman”) instead of just pescador.

Why is the verb descansa in the simple present tense rather than a continuous form?

Spanish often uses the simple present tense to describe actions happening right now, habitual actions, or even future events. So descansa can mean “he rests” or “he is resting.” Although Spanish has a present progressive (está descansando), the simple present is perfectly natural for a scene like this.

Why isn’t there a subject pronoun like él before descansa?

Spanish is a “pro-drop” language: the verb ending already tells you who the subject is. Descansa ends in -a, which signals él/ella/usted. Adding él would make it emphatic (“he, himself, rests”) but isn’t necessary for meaning.

What does en mean in en la orilla del mar, and why use it?

Here, en indicates location and is best translated as “on” or “at.” So en la orilla means “on the shore” or “at the edge.” It tells us where the fisherman is resting.