Breakdown of El cartero recoge los sobres cada día y verifica que cada sello esté correcto.
estar
to be
el día
the day
cada
each, every
y
and
que
that
recoger
to pick up
correcto
correct
el sello
the stamp
el cartero
the mail carrier
el sobre
the envelope
verificar
to check
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Questions & Answers about El cartero recoge los sobres cada día y verifica que cada sello esté correcto.
What is the tense and person of recoge?
recoge is the present indicative, third person singular of recoger (él/ella/Usted). It means “he/she/you (formal) picks up” or “collects.”
Why is los sobres used here with the definite article los?
In Spanish, when talking about things in general or habitual actions, we often use the definite article. Los sobres (the envelopes) refers to “the envelopes” the mailman handles regularly. Without los, just saying sobres would sound like mentioning envelopes as a category, not the specific ones he collects every day.
Why is cada día used instead of todos los días? Are both correct?
Both are correct and virtually interchangeable:
- Cada día = “each day,” emphasizing every individual day.
- Todos los días = “every day” or “all the days.”
There’s no significant difference in meaning or frequency—just a slight stylistic choice.
What is the function of cada in cada sello?
Here, cada means “each” or “every” and works as a distributive determiner. Cada sello (= “each stamp”) stresses that the postman checks stamps one by one.
Why is there a que after verifica?
Verificar when used to introduce a clause meaning “to verify that…” requires the conjunction que, just like “verify that” in English. It links the main verb to the subordinate clause.
Why is esté (subjunctive) used instead of está (indicative)?
After verbs that imply intention, purpose, or ensuring something—such as verificar que in the sense of “make sure that”—Spanish uses the subjunctive mood. The subjunctive signals that the action in the subordinate clause is something to be guaranteed or checked, not merely stated as fact.
Why is correcto an adjective here instead of the adverb correctamente?
In que cada sello esté correcto, correcto describes the state of the subject (sello), so you need an adjective (“that each stamp be correct”). Correctamente is an adverb and would modify a verb (e.g., esté colocado correctamente = “is placed correctly”), not the noun directly.
Could we use revisa or comprueba instead of verifica? What’s the difference?
Yes. These are common synonyms:
- Verifica often implies a more formal or systematic check.
- Revisa is more general, like a routine check.
- Comprueba focuses on confirming or proving something.
In most contexts they can be used interchangeably, but the nuance depends on how formal or thorough the check is.