Breakdown of Algunos descansan en casa y otros descansan en el parque.
en
in
y
and
descansar
to rest
el parque
the park
la casa
the home
en
at
algunos
some
otros
others
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Questions & Answers about Algunos descansan en casa y otros descansan en el parque.
What is the part of speech and meaning of descansan?
Descansan is the third-person plural form of the verb descansar in the present indicative. It literally means they rest.
Why is the verb in the present tense rather than the past?
The present tense in Spanish isn’t only for actions happening right now; it also expresses habitual or general truths. Here, descansan tells us what some people typically or currently do (“some rest at home…”), not what they did at a specific past moment.
Why isn’t there an explicit subject pronoun like ellos before descansan?
Spanish is a pro-drop (pronoun-dropping) language: verb endings already show who is doing the action. Descansan ends in -an, so we know the subject is they. Adding ellos is redundant unless you want extra emphasis.
Why do we use the preposition en before casa and el parque? Could we use a instead?
Descansar takes en to indicate the location where the resting happens: descansan en casa (they rest at home), descansan en el parque (they rest in the park). Using a would imply movement to a place, not location. If you wanted to say “they go to the park,” you’d say van al parque (a + el = al).
Why is there no article in en casa, but we include el in en el parque?
When casa means home, Spanish often drops the article: en casa = “at home.” With other locations like parque, you need the definite article: en el parque. If you said en la casa, it would mean “in the house” (a house), not necessarily someone’s home.
How do algunos and otros agree in gender and number? What if we’re talking about women?
Algunos and otros are indefinite pronouns that must match the gender and number of the group. Here they’re masculine plural (“some [men/people]… others”). For a group of women you’d say algunas descansan en casa y otras descansan en el parque.
Can we omit the second descansan and say Algunos descansan en casa y otros en el parque?
Yes. Spanish allows verb ellipsis when the subject and verb are the same. The second descansan is understood, so the shorter sentence is equally correct and more natural.
Are there other verbs we could use instead of descansan, like relajarse?
Absolutely. To emphasize relaxing rather than just resting, you could say Algunos se relajan en casa y otros se relajan en el parque. Notice relajarse is reflexive, so you’ll need the reflexive pronoun se.