Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Las almendras también van bien con una ensalada de frutas.

Las almendras también van bien con una ensalada de frutas.

Almonds also go well with a fruit salad.

Breakdown of Las almendras también van bien con una ensalada de frutas.

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Questions & Answers about Las almendras también van bien con una ensalada de frutas.

Why does the sentence use “Las almendras” with “las”? In English we just say “almonds” without “the”.

Spanish uses definite articles (el, la, los, las) much more often than English, especially when talking about things in general.

Las almendras = Almonds (in general)
- Las almendras también van bien con una ensalada de frutas.
  → Almonds also go well with a fruit salad.

Using “las” doesn’t mean the specific almonds right here; it usually means the general category of almonds.

Compare:

Me gustan las almendras. = I like almonds. (in general)
Me comí las almendras. = I ate the almonds. (specific almonds we both know about)

Context tells you if it’s general or specific; here it’s clearly general.

Can I drop the article and say just “Almendras también van bien con una ensalada de frutas”?

Grammatically you can say it, but it sounds odd and unnatural in standard Spanish.

For a general statement like this, Spanish almost always uses the definite article:

✔ Las almendras van bien con una ensalada de frutas.
✘ Almendras van bien con una ensalada de frutas. (sounds incomplete / off)

You might see bare plurals (without articles) in:

Headlines / lists / recipes:
- Ingredientes: almendras, azúcar, leche…
Some fixed expressions:
- Vendo carros usados. = I sell used cars.

But in a normal sentence like yours, you should keep “las almendras”.

Why is it “van bien” and not something like “son buenas”? What does “ir bien” mean here?

Here “van bien” comes from the verb ir (to go), used in the idiomatic expression “ir bien con”:

ir bien con algo/alguien = to go well with / to match / to suit

So:

Las almendras van bien con una ensalada de frutas.
= Almonds go well with a fruit salad.

This is very common with:

Food & drink:
- El vino tinto va bien con la carne roja.
Clothing / colors:
- Ese pantalón va bien con esa camisa.
Ideas / situations:
- Tu propuesta va bien con lo que necesitamos.

If you said “Las almendras son buenas con una ensalada de frutas”, it would sound unnatural; we don’t usually describe that “X is good with Y” in Spanish. We say “ir bien con”.

Why is it “van” and not “va”?

The verb must agree with the subject in number:

Subject: Las almendras → they (plural)
Verb: ir (to go) → van (3rd person plural, present)

Conjugation (present indicative of ir):

yo voy
tú vas
él / ella / usted va
nosotros vamos
ustedes / ellos / ellas van

So:

La almendra va bien… (singular: the almond goes well…)
Las almendras van bien… (plural: the almonds go well…)

Can I use a different verb instead of “van bien”, like “quedan bien” or “combina bien”?

Yes, but each option has a slightly different tone:

ir bien con
- Most neutral/natural choice for food combinations.
- Las almendras van bien con una ensalada de frutas.
quedar bien con
- Often used for clothes, colors, styles, also for food but a bit less typical.
- Las almendras quedan bien en una ensalada de frutas.
  (Almonds work/look good in a fruit salad.)
combinar bien con
- Literally “to combine well with” → can sound a bit more technical or chef-like with food.
- Las almendras combinan bien con la ensalada de frutas.

All three are understandable. For everyday speech about food, “van bien con” is the most natural, especially in Latin America.

What exactly does “también” mean here, and where can it go in the sentence?

“también” = also / too / as well.

It usually goes before the verb or before the phrase it modifies:

Las almendras también van bien con una ensalada de frutas.
→ Almonds also go well with a fruit salad.
(Maybe something else goes well too, and almonds are another option.)

You can move también a bit:

También las almendras van bien con una ensalada de frutas.
- More emphasis on “almonds”: Almonds also go well…
Las almendras van bien con una ensalada de frutas también.
- Possible, but more common in speech; “también” feels tacked on at the end.

The most neutral and common position is the original:
Las almendras también van bien…

Why is it “con una ensalada de frutas” and not “en una ensalada de frutas”?

Different prepositions, different ideas:

con = with → combination or accompaniment
- Las almendras van bien con una ensalada de frutas.
  → Almonds go well with a fruit salad. (as a pairing)
en = in / inside / on → location / inclusion
- Las almendras van bien en una ensalada de frutas.
  → Almonds work well in a fruit salad. (as an ingredient inside it)

Both can be used, but they focus on different things:

con: the pairing of two separate items (almonds + salad)
en: almonds as part of the salad itself

Your original sentence chooses con to talk about the combination or pairing.

Why is it “una ensalada de frutas” and not “un ensalada de frutas”?

Because “ensalada” is a feminine noun in Spanish:

la ensalada (the salad)
una ensalada (a salad)

Articles must agree in gender and number with the noun:

la ensalada / las ensaladas
una ensalada / unas ensaladas

So:

✔ una ensalada de frutas
✘ un ensalada de frutas (wrong gender agreement)

Why is it “ensalada de frutas” with frutas plural? Could it be “ensalada de fruta”?

The standard, most common expression for “fruit salad” in Latin American Spanish is:

ensalada de frutas (literally: salad of fruits)

The plural “frutas” suggests a mix of different fruits, which is what a fruit salad usually is.

You can sometimes hear “ensalada de fruta” (singular), especially regionally, but:

ensalada de frutas → safest, most neutral choice
ensalada de fruta → heard in some areas, but less standard; might sound a bit regional or less usual in some countries

Other common equivalents in Latin America:

ensalada de frutas
cóctel de frutas / coctel de frutas (fruit cocktail)

For learning purposes, stick with “ensalada de frutas.”

What is the structure “ensalada de frutas” grammatically? Is “de” like “of” in English?

Yes. “de” often works like English “of” or like a noun modifier in English.

In ensalada de frutas:

ensalada = head noun (salad)
de frutas = phrase that describes what kind of salad

Common similar structures:

sándwich de pollo = chicken sandwich
jugo de naranja = orange juice
pastel de chocolate = chocolate cake

So “ensalada de frutas” literally is “salad of fruits”, which we translate as “fruit salad.”

If I want to make the sentence negative, where do I put “no”?

Place “no” directly before the verb:

Affirmative:
- Las almendras van bien con una ensalada de frutas.
Negative:
- Las almendras no van bien con una ensalada de frutas.
  → Almonds don’t go well with a fruit salad.

In general:
[Subject] + no + [verb] + …

How is “almendras” formed from “almendra”? Is the plural regular?

Yes, it’s a regular plural.

For most nouns ending in a vowel:

add -s to make the plural.

So:

la almendra → las almendras
la manzana → las manzanas
el tomate → los tomates

Gender doesn’t change in the plural:

feminine: la almendra / las almendras
masculine: el plátano / los plátanos

How do you pronounce “almendras” and “ensalada de frutas” in Latin American Spanish?

Approximate pronunciation (Latin American):

almendras → ahl-MEN-drahs
- al: like “ahl”
- men: like “men” in English
- dras: “drahs” (trilled or tapped r)
ensalada de frutas → en-sah-LAH-dah deh FROO-tahs
- en: like “en” in “enter”
- sa: “sah”
- la: “lah”
- da: “dah”
- de: “deh”
- fru: “froo” (like “fruit” without the t)
- tas: “tahs”

Stress:

al-MEN-dras (stress on MEN)
en-sa-LA-da (stress on LA)
FRU-tas (stress on FRU)