Breakdown of La vendedora me dejó entrar al probador y comprobó que mi talla es mediana.
Questions & Answers about La vendedora me dejó entrar al probador y comprobó que mi talla es mediana.
What does "me dejó entrar" mean exactly? How does this structure work?
It means “she let me go in.” The pattern is:
- dejar + [person] + infinitive: La vendedora me dejó entrar.
- You can also attach the clitic to the infinitive: La vendedora dejó entrarme (less common but correct).
- A more formal alternative is permitir: La vendedora me permitió entrar.
- Another equivalent structure is dejar que + subjunctive, but then you don’t use the object pronoun: La vendedora dejó que (yo) entrara. Avoid “me dejó que entrara.”
Tip: dejar de + infinitive means “to stop doing” (e.g., dejó de fumar), which is unrelated here.
Why is it "entrar al probador" and not "entrar en el probador"?
In Latin America, entrar a is very common, and a + el contracts to al. In Spain, entrar en is more common. All of these are correct:
- entrar al probador (LatAm preference)
- entrar en el probador (Spain preference)
- entrar a el probador is incorrect because you must contract to al.
What exactly is a "probador"? Are there regional alternatives?
Probador is a fitting/changing room in a clothing store. Common alternatives in Latin America:
- vestidor (also very common on store signage)
- Less commonly for stores, camerino tends to be a backstage dressing room. You’ll see signs saying Probadores or Vestidores.
Why do "dejó" and "comprobó" have accent marks?
They’re third-person singular preterite forms and are stressed on the last syllable:
- dejó (from dejar)
- comprobó (from comprobar) The accent marks indicate the correct stress and distinguish them from present-tense forms like deja and comprueba.
Why use the preterite (dejó, comprobó) here instead of the imperfect?
Why does it say "comprobó que mi talla es mediana" (present "es") after a past verb? Would "era" also work?
Both are possible:
- …comprobó que mi talla es mediana: emphasizes that the result is still valid now.
- …comprobó que mi talla era mediana: frames it within the past context. With comprobar (“to confirm/verify”), the subordinate clause usually takes the indicative, not the subjunctive, because it asserts a fact.
Why "mediana" and not "mediano" or "medio"?
Because talla is feminine, the adjective agrees: talla mediana.
- mediano/mediana = medium-sized.
- medio usually means “half” or functions as an adverb (“kind of”), not a clothing size.
What’s the difference between "talla", "tamaño", and "número"?
- talla: clothing size (shirts, pants, jackets).
- número: shoe size (and sometimes rings).
- tamaño: general size of things (boxes, rooms) or of a body part in a non-sizing-chart sense.
Other natural ways to say "my size is medium"?
- Uso/tengo talla M (said “eme”).
- Uso/tengo talla mediana.
- Soy talla M/mediana (informal).
- On labels you’ll see S, M, L; you can also say pequeña, mediana, grande.
Is "comprobar" the same as "probar" or "probarse"?
No:
- comprobar = to check/confirm/verify a fact (e.g., comprobar que la talla es mediana).
- probar = to try/taste/test.
- probarse = to try on clothing (reflexive), e.g., me probé la camisa.
Could I replace "comprobó" with other verbs like "verificó", "confirmó", "revisó", or "chequeó/checó"?
Yes, with nuances:
- verificó / confirmó: close to comprobó (formal/neutral).
- revisó: “looked over/checked,” not always implying confirmation of a fact.
- chequeó (many countries) / chequeó/chequeó vs checó/checó (Mexico often says checar/checó): informal/colloquial “checked.”
Is "me" a direct or indirect object here? What would it be in third person?
With dejar + infinitive, the person is typically the direct object. For 1st/2nd person, the form me/te/nos/os doesn’t show the difference. In third person:
- Standard in Latin America: La vendedora lo/la dejó entrar.
- In Spain, leísmo is common and accepted: La vendedora le dejó entrar (masculine human referent).
Can the clitic go on the infinitive: "dejó entrarme al probador"?
Yes. Both are correct:
- Me dejó entrar al probador (more common).
- Dejó entrarme al probador (also fine).
Why not "me dejó que entrar"?
Because with dejar que, you must use the subjunctive without the clitic object:
- Correct: Dejó que (yo) entrara.
- Correct: Me dejó entrar.
- Incorrect: Me dejó que entrar.
Is "comprobó de que" ever correct?
No. That’s dequeísmo. Use:
- comprobar que (no “de”): comprobó que mi talla es mediana. But some verbs do take de que, e.g., asegurarse de que: Se aseguró de que todo estuviera listo.
Why "ser" (es) and not "estar" with "talla"?
Size as an inherent attribute uses ser: Mi talla es mediana. You use estar/quedar for fit in the moment:
- Esta camisa me queda grande/chica.
- Not: “Mi talla está mediana.”
Could it be "un probador" instead of "al probador"?
Yes, but it changes the meaning:
- al probador = to the (specific) fitting room.
- a un probador = to a fitting room (unspecified/one of them).
What does "vendedora" imply? Are there other words?
Vendedora is a female salesperson. Alternatives:
- vendedor (male), vendedora (female).
- dependiente/a (common in Spain).
- empleado/a (employee; generic).
- cajero/a (cashier), a different role.
Any quick pronunciation tips for tricky parts?
- talla: the ll is usually pronounced like English “y” (TA-ya) in most of Latin America.
- v is pronounced like b: vendedora ≈ “bendedora.”
- Accented forms dejó, comprobó stress the last syllable.
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