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Ambas sillas están en la cocina.

Ambas sillas están en la cocina.
Both chairs are in the kitchen.
FromLesson 27inHardcore Spanish (Latin America)

Breakdown of Ambas sillas están en la cocina.

la silla
the chair
la cocina
the kitchen
en
in
estar
to be
ambas
both

Questions & Answers about Ambas sillas están en la cocina.

Why do we say ambas sillas instead of ambos sillas?
Because ambas must agree in gender and number with sillas, which is feminine plural. The masculine form is ambos, but for feminine nouns you always use ambas.
Can I use las dos sillas instead of ambas sillas?
Yes. Las dos sillas is an equally correct way to say “both chairs.” You need the feminine article las because dos doesn’t carry gender; the article agrees with sillas.
Why is there an accent on están?
The accent mark on están shows that the stress falls on the last syllable. Both third-person forms of estar—está (singular) and están (plural)—carry an accent to distinguish them from any unstressed or hypothetical forms.
Why use están instead of son?
Because estar is the verb used to indicate location or temporary states. Están en la cocina tells us where the chairs are. Ser (e.g. son) is for identity, origin, or inherent characteristics, not for location.
Do I always need the article la in en la cocina?
Yes. In Spanish you generally include the definite article before rooms and enclosed spaces when talking about being in them. Saying en cocina without la sounds unnatural.
Could I say hay dos sillas en la cocina instead? What’s the difference?
You certainly can. Hay dos sillas en la cocina means “there are two chairs in the kitchen,” emphasizing their existence. Están en la cocina instead emphasizes their location, assuming you already know those chairs exist.
Can ambas ever come after the noun, as in sillas ambas?
No. Quantitative adjectives like ambos, ambas, muchos, etc., precede the noun in standard Spanish. Sillas ambas would sound incorrect.
Is it okay to change the word order to En la cocina están ambas sillas?
Yes. Spanish allows flexible word order for emphasis or style. Starting with En la cocina simply highlights the location before you mention the chairs.
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“How does verb conjugation work in Spanish?”
Spanish verbs change form based on the subject, tense, and mood. Regular verbs follow predictable patterns depending on whether they end in ‑ar, ‑er, or ‑ir. For example, "hablar" (to speak) becomes "hablo" (I speak), "hablas" (you speak), and "habla" (he/she speaks) in the present tense.

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