Breakdown of Mezclé los fideos con miel y limón para preparar un plato dulce y salado.
yo
I
con
with
y
and
dulce
sweet
para
for
preparar
to prepare
mezclar
to mix
un
a
el plato
the dish
salado
savory
el limón
the lemon
el fideo
the noodle
la miel
the honey
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Questions & Answers about Mezclé los fideos con miel y limón para preparar un plato dulce y salado.
Why does mezclé have an accent on the é?
In Spanish, the first-person singular (yo) form of regular -ar verbs in the preterite tense ends in -é, and this carries a written accent. The accent shows that the stress falls on that final syllable and also distinguishes it from other forms (for example, the present-subjunctive mezcle without accent).
What’s the difference between mezclé and mezclaba?
- Mezclé is the preterite tense, used for a completed action in the past (“I mixed” as a one-time event).
- Mezclaba is the imperfect tense, used for habitual or ongoing past actions (“I used to mix” or “I was mixing”).
What’s the function of con in this sentence?
Con means “with” and introduces the ingredients combined with the noodles. So mezclé los fideos con miel y limón literally means “I mixed the noodles with honey and lemon.”
Why is there no article before miel and limón?
When talking about ingredients or materials in recipes, Spanish often omits the definite article. English does the same: “with honey and lemon” instead of “with the honey and the lemon.” You could say “con la miel y el limón” if you want to emphasize specific items, but it’s more common to leave the article out.
Why is the conjunction still y instead of e before limón?
The conjunction y changes to e only before words starting with the sound i or hi. Since limón starts with an l sound, you use y.
Why do the adjectives dulce and salado follow the noun plato?
Spanish descriptive adjectives normally come after the noun. So un plato dulce y salado (“a sweet and salty dish”) follows the pattern noun + adjective. Placing an adjective before the noun (e.g. un dulce plato) is possible but gives it a more poetic or emphatic feel.
Why is para preparar followed by an infinitive instead of a subjunctive clause?
Para + infinitive expresses purpose in a simple way: “in order to prepare.” If you used para que, you would need a different subject and the subjunctive:
- “Para que preparara un plato…” implies “so that [someone else] would prepare a dish.”
Since the subject remains “yo,” we use para preparar- infinitive.
Why is los fideos plural with the article los?
- Fideos (“noodles”) refers to multiple strands, so it’s a plural noun.
- Spanish typically uses the definite article before a concrete portion of food: los fideos = “the noodles” (the ones you cooked or are referring to).