Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): El profesor deja una nota en la pizarra para los estudiantes que llegan tarde. - The teacher leaves a note on the board for students who arrive late.

The verb deja (from dejar) means “to leave something behind for someone to find.” Here it conveys that the teacher leaves a note for later, emphasizing the idea of it being left for the students to see. Poner means “to place” or “to put,” which is more neutral about the intention. You could say El profesor pone una nota en la pizarra, but that feels more like “the teacher places a note” rather than “leaves” it. When you want to highlight that something was left for someone, dejar is more natural.

Why is para used before los estudiantes, and why not por or a?

In Spanish, para indicates the recipient or intended beneficiary of an action. Here, the note is for the students who arrive late. Using por would express cause (“because of”) or means, and a would mark an indirect object but wouldn’t convey “intended for” as strongly. You could say deja una nota a los estudiantes, but the nuance shifts toward “gives them a note.” Para stresses “intended for.”

Why is the clause que llegan tarde in the indicative mood and not the subjunctive (lleguen)?

The clause que llegan tarde is a defining (restrictive) relative clause identifying which students we’re talking about: those who arrive late. When you refer to something real or certain, Spanish uses the indicative. The subjunctive would appear if the clause expressed uncertainty, desire, or non-existence (e.g., “Busco estudiantes que lleguen tarde” suggests you’re looking for such students and aren’t sure they exist). Here, the students are a known group, so we use llegan.

What part of speech is tarde here, and why doesn’t it agree in gender or number?

In this sentence, tarde functions as an adverb of time modifying the verb llegan (“arrive late”). Adverbs in Spanish are invariable: they don’t change form for gender or number. If tarde were an adjective (“the late student”), it would agree with the noun, but that usage is rare.

Could we replace la pizarra with el pizarrón, and what’s the difference?

Yes. Both pizarra and pizarrón mean “blackboard” or “whiteboard.” Pizarrón is the augmentative form (“big board”) and is more common in many Latin American countries, while pizarra is standard in Spain. You can say El profesor deja una nota en el pizarrón without changing the meaning.

Why is there an indefinite article una before nota, and could we use la nota instead?

The indefinite article una indicates any note, one that hasn’t been mentioned before. If the note were already known or specified, you’d use the definite article la. For example: Miren la nota que escribí ayer (“Look at the note I wrote yesterday”). In your sentence, the note appears for the first time, so una nota is appropriate.

Why is que used as the relative pronoun for los estudiantes instead of quienes?

In modern Spanish, que is the most common relative pronoun for both people and things. Quienes is more formal or literary and often follows a preposition (e.g., “a quienes llegaron tarde”). Here, que is natural and idiomatic: los estudiantes que llegan tarde. You could use quienes (“los estudiantes quienes llegan tarde”), but it sounds more formal or bookish.