Breakdown of El invitado descansa en la sala.
en
in
descansar
to rest
la sala
the living room
el invitado
the guest
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Questions & Answers about El invitado descansa en la sala.
Why isn't there an explicit pronoun like Él before descansa?
In Spanish, subject pronouns are usually omitted because the verb ending tells you who the subject is. The -a in descansa indicates “he,” “she,” or “you (formal).” You only add Él for emphasis or clarity: Él descansa en la sala.
Why is it El invitado instead of Un invitado?
El is the definite article used for a specific guest already known or mentioned. Un invitado (using the indefinite article) would mean “a guest” in general or “some guest” not previously identified.
How would you say it if the guest is a woman?
You change the noun and article to the feminine form: La invitada descansa en la sala.
What form is descansa and why is it used here?
Descansa is the third-person singular present tense of descansar (to rest). It matches the singular subject el invitado and expresses that he rests now or habitually.
Could you use a continuous form like está descansando instead?
Yes. Está descansando en la sala means “He is resting in the living room,” emphasizing the ongoing action. The simple present descansa can also convey a current action in Spanish, so both are correct depending on nuance.
Why use en la sala and not a la sala?
En indicates location ("in" the living room). A la sala would imply motion toward the living room ("to the living room"), which doesn’t fit when someone is already resting inside.
What does sala mean and are there other words for it?
In Latin America, sala usually means “living room.” In Spain, you might hear salón or sala de estar. In some countries, sala de estar is also used for formal emphasis.
Why doesn't descansa have an accent mark?
Spanish words ending in a vowel, n, or s are naturally stressed on the penultimate syllable. Descansa follows this rule (de-CAN-sa), so it doesn’t need a written accent.
How do you pronounce descansa?
It’s pronounced /desˈkan.sa/. The c before a is a hard /k/ sound, and the stress falls on the second syllable: de-SCAN-sa.
Can you change the word order and still be correct?
Yes. To emphasize location, you can say En la sala descansa el invitado. It feels a bit more formal or literary but retains the same meaning.