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Mi mochila está al lado de la silla.

Mi mochila está al lado de la silla.
My backpack is next to the chair.
FromLesson 40inHardcore Spanish (Latin America)

Breakdown of Mi mochila está al lado de la silla.

la silla
the chair
mi
my
estar
to be
la mochila
the backpack
al lado de
next to

Questions & Answers about Mi mochila está al lado de la silla.

What does al stand for in al lado de?
Al is the contraction of a + el. The whole phrase al lado de literally means at the side of. Because lado is masculine (el lado), Spanish contracts a el to al. Similarly, de + el becomes del, as in del escritorio.
Why is it está and not es?
Use estar to talk about location and temporary states. Use ser for identity, characteristics, time, and origin. Physical location of things takes estar: Mi mochila está al lado de la silla. Exception: locations of events use ser (e.g., La reunión es en el parque).
Why is there de after al lado?
Because al lado de is a fixed prepositional expression. The de links the thing you are next to. Other location phrases that work the same way: cerca de, lejos de, debajo de, encima de, delante de, detrás de.
Why de la silla and not del silla?
Silla is feminine, so the article is la, not el. Del is the contraction de + el and is only used with masculine singular nouns. Examples: del sofá, del escritorio; but de la mesa, de la puerta.
Could I say de una silla instead of de la silla?
Yes, if you mean a nonspecific chair. De la silla refers to a specific, known chair. De una silla means next to some chair, not a particular one. The choice depends on context and whether the chair is identifiable.
Are there other ways to say next to?

Common options and nuances:

  • junto a: often a bit more formal; can imply touching.
  • al costado de: frequent in the Southern Cone and Peru; neutral.
  • a la par de: common in Paraguay and parts of Central America and northern Argentina; neutral.
  • pegado a: right up against, touching.
  • cerca de: near, not necessarily next to.
  • a un lado de: off to one side of.
How do I pronounce the key words?

Approximate Latin American pronunciations:

  • mochila: mo-CHEE-lah
  • está: es-TAH
  • silla: SEE-yah in most of Latin America (yeísmo); SHEE-yah/ZHEE-yah in parts of Argentina and Uruguay
  • lado: LAH-doh
Why does está have an accent?
Está is a verb form (third person singular of estar). The accent marks the stressed syllable and distinguishes it from esta (this, feminine). Está always carries the accent; esta does not.
Can I say Mi mochila está al lado a la silla?
No. The correct pairing is al lado de, not al lado a. If you use junto, then it is junto a la silla.
How do I turn it into a question or a negative?
How do I make it plural?
  • Both plural: Mis mochilas están al lado de las sillas.
  • Only the backpacks plural: Mis mochilas están al lado de la silla.
  • Only the chairs plural: Mi mochila está al lado de las sillas. Make verb and articles agree in number: mis/están/las for plurals.
Can I change the word order?

Neutral statement order is subject + verb: Mi mochila está... You can front elements for emphasis or in questions:

  • Está mi mochila al lado de la silla. (marked, emphatic or literary)
  • ¿Está mi mochila al lado de la silla? (question) The original order is the most natural for a plain statement.
How do I replace la silla with a name or a pronoun?
What is the difference between mi and mío/mía?
  • mi is an unstressed possessive adjective used before a noun: mi mochila.
  • mío/mía is a stressed possessive used after the noun or standing alone: la mochila es mía, es mía. Do not say mío mochila.
Is the a in al lado de the personal a?
No. It is part of the preposition a in the fixed phrase al lado de. The personal a marks human direct objects, as in Veo a María, and is unrelated here.
Can I omit the article and say al lado de silla?
No. With singular count nouns, Spanish normally requires an article after de: de la silla, del sofá. Omitting it sounds wrong in this context.
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Spanish verbs change form based on the subject, tense, and mood. Regular verbs follow predictable patterns depending on whether they end in ‑ar, ‑er, or ‑ir. For example, "hablar" (to speak) becomes "hablo" (I speak), "hablas" (you speak), and "habla" (he/she speaks) in the present tense.

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