Breakdown of La recepción da la bienvenida a cada huésped con una sonrisa.
con
with
cada
each, every
a
to
la sonrisa
the smile
la recepción
the reception
dar la bienvenida
to welcome
el huésped
the guest
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Spanish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about La recepción da la bienvenida a cada huésped con una sonrisa.
What does la recepción mean here? Does it refer to a person?
La recepción refers to the front desk or reception area/department of a hotel, not an individual. If you meant the person working there, you’d say la recepcionista.
Why do we say dar la bienvenida? Isn’t bienvenido an adjective?
Dar la bienvenida is an idiomatic verb phrase meaning “to welcome.” Here bienvenida is a noun (“a welcome” or “the act of welcoming”). By contrast, bienvenido can function as an adjective (“welcome”) or an exclamation (¡Bienvenido!, “Welcome!”).
Why is there a la before bienvenida in dar la bienvenida?
In Spanish you generally use the definite article before concrete nouns in set phrases. La bienvenida (“the welcome”) is treated as a specific thing you’re giving. Omitting la would sound unnatural.
Why do we use a in da la bienvenida a cada huésped?
The preposition a marks the indirect object in Spanish when you “give someone a welcome.” So you dar la bienvenida a alguien (welcome someone). Without a, the sentence would be grammatically incomplete.
What is the difference between cada huésped and todos los huéspedes?
Cada huésped means “each guest” (emphasizing them one by one), while todos los huéspedes means “all the guests” (viewed as a group). Both are correct but shift the focus slightly.
Why does huésped have an accent on the é?
Spanish accent rules: words ending in a consonant other than n or s are normally stressed on the last syllable. Huésped is stressed on the penultimate syllable (hu-és-ped), so it needs an acute accent on the é to show that stress.
Can we replace da with recibe, as in La recepción recibe a cada huésped con una sonrisa?
Yes. Recibir (“to receive”) also works and means “to greet” or “welcome.” La recepción recibe a cada huésped con una sonrisa is correct, though dar la bienvenida carries the stronger nuance of officially welcoming someone.
What does con una sonrisa add to the sentence? Can we move it?
Con una sonrisa describes the manner of the action (“with a smile”). It usually follows the verb in Spanish, but you can move it to the start for emphasis: Con una sonrisa, la recepción da la bienvenida a cada huésped.
Why is da in third person singular?
Because the subject la recepción is singular. If you changed the subject to something plural—say los recepcionistas—you’d use dan instead of da.