Breakdown of Queda la mitad del pastel en la mesa.
Questions & Answers about Queda la mitad del pastel en la mesa.
It’s the 3rd-person singular of quedar used in the sense of to remain / to be left. So the sentence is saying that what remains is half of the cake (and it specifies where it remains).
Other common meanings of quedar:
- to be located: ¿Dónde queda la estación? (Where is the station located?)
- to fit/suit (clothing): La camisa te queda bien.
- to end up/turn out: La pared quedó blanca.
- to arrange to meet/agree: Quedamos en vernos mañana.
Because the grammatical subject is la mitad, which is singular. The phrase del pastel is just a complement (of the cake), not the subject. Compare:
- Singular: Queda la mitad del pastel.
- Plural: Quedan dos rebanadas de pastel.
Spanish often uses verb–subject word order to present new information, especially with verbs like quedar, haber, faltar, sobrar. It sounds natural to say what exists/remains first, then what it is:
- Queda la mitad del pastel... You can also put the subject first with no change in meaning:
- La mitad del pastel queda en la mesa.
You can, but it changes the nuance:
- La mitad del pastel está en la mesa simply states location (it’s on the table).
- Queda la mitad del pastel en la mesa highlights that only half remains (a result/state after some was eaten). If you want the idea of still left, quedar is the natural choice; you can add todavía/aún for emphasis: Todavía queda la mitad...
No. Hay rarely takes definite noun phrases; Hay la mitad del pastel sounds wrong. Use:
- Todavía queda la mitad del pastel en la mesa. (most natural)
- Or with an indefinite amount: Hay medio pastel en la mesa.
- la mitad de + article + noun = half of a specific thing: la mitad del pastel, la mitad de la pizza.
- medio/media + noun (adjective) = half a(n) [something], not necessarily a specific one: medio pastel, media pizza. So here, because we mean half of the specific cake, la mitad del pastel is perfect.
Because Spanish contracts preposition + masculine definite article:
- de + el → del (and a + el → al). No contraction with the pronoun él: de él. With some proper names that include El/La (e.g., El Salvador), you typically don’t contract: de El Salvador.
In Spanish, en covers both “in” and “on.” Context decides. With surfaces like tables, en la mesa is understood as “on the table.” You can be more explicit with:
- sobre la mesa or encima de la mesa = on top of the table.
Not here. For quantities or leftovers, use the non-reflexive quedar: Queda la mitad...
Quedarse is used for subjects that “stay/remain” themselves: Me quedé en casa, or Me quedé con la mitad del pastel (I kept half the cake).
- sobrar = to be left over (often suggests excess): Sobra la mitad del pastel. (OK, slightly stronger “leftover” feel)
- restar = to remain (more formal/math-like): Resta la mitad del pastel. (rare in everyday speech) Quedar is the most neutral and idiomatic in daily conversation.
Yes. In much of Latin America, pastel = cake (especially in Mexico). Elsewhere:
- torta = cake (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, etc.; note in Mexico, torta is a sandwich)
- queque = cake (Costa Rica, parts of Central America, Chile for sponge cake)
- tarta is more common for cake/pie in Spain. Your sentence is pan–Latin-American-friendly with pastel.
- Alternative word orders: En la mesa queda la mitad del pastel. / La mitad del pastel queda en la mesa.
- Asking: ¿Cuánto pastel queda?; more specific: ¿Cuántas rebanadas quedan?
- Different quantities: Queda medio pastel. / Quedan dos trozos de pastel.
Queda is present. For a past completed situation, use preterite:
- Quedó la mitad del pastel en la mesa. (At that point, half was left on the table.) For an ongoing past state, use imperfect: Quedaba la mitad...