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Questions & Answers about Tu hermana dice que la falda te queda mejor que el pantalón.
Why is queda in the 3rd person singular if the sentence is about tú?
Spanish verbs agree with their grammatical subject. In la falda te queda, the subject is la falda, not tú, so we use queda (3rd person singular). Te indicates that the skirt fits you (indirect object).
What does te queda literally translate to, and why do we use te?
Literally, te queda means “it remains to you.” Idiomatically, it means “it fits you” or “it suits you.” Te is the indirect object pronoun for tú, marking you as the recipient of the action. You can also say a ti te queda for emphasis.
Why is the verb quedar used here instead of verbs like ajustar or encajar?
In Spanish, quedar is the common verb to express how clothing/items fit or look on someone (e.g. Esa chaqueta te queda genial). Ajustar or encajar exist but are less idiomatic for describing fit in everyday speech.
Why is mejor used instead of más bueno or más bien?
Mejor is the irregular comparative form of both bien (adverb) and bueno (adjective). For comparisons, you don’t use más bueno or más bien; you use mejor. Here, mejor modifies quedar, meaning “fits better.”
Why are there two ques in dice que la falda te queda mejor que el pantalón?
They serve different functions:
- dice que – que is a conjunction introducing reported speech (“says that…”).
- mejor que – que is the comparative “than.”
Spanish uses the same word que for both purposes.
Why is the subordinate clause after dice que in the indicative (queda) rather than the subjunctive?
Because dice que introduces a statement your sister is presenting as fact or opinion. The indicative mood is used for reported information. You’d use the subjunctive only after verbs expressing doubt, wishes, or non-reality.
Why is pantalón singular when in English we say pants in the plural?
In Spanish, un pantalón can refer to “a pair of pants.” Although los pantalones is more common for “pants,” el pantalón is acceptable when you’re talking about one item (one pair).
Could we change the word order to Te queda mejor la falda que el pantalón?
Yes. Spanish word order is flexible. Te queda mejor la falda que el pantalón is perfectly correct and may even sound more colloquial by putting the indirect object pronoun first.
Can we use sentar instead of quedar to talk about how clothes fit?
Yes. Sentar bien/mal (e.g. Esa falda te sienta mejor) is another common way to say “it suits you” or “fits you.” Quedar and sentar can often be used interchangeably, though regional preferences vary.