Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Si la porción es muy grande, compartimos el plato entre dos personas. - If the portion is very large, we share the dish between two people.

si (no accent) = if
- Used to introduce a condition: Si la porción es muy grande… = If the portion is very big…
sí (with accent) = yes or oneself
- Sí, quiero compartir. = Yes, I want to share.
- Lo hizo por sí misma. = She did it by herself.

In your sentence it clearly introduces a condition, so it must be si without an accent.

Why is it es muy grande and not está muy grande?

Both can appear with this noun, but they’re not used in exactly the same way.

es muy grande (with ser) focuses on a more inherent or typical characteristic:
- Here, it sounds like a general rule: If the portion (that they serve there / in general) is big, we share the dish.
está muy grande (with estar) is often used in everyday speech (especially in parts of Latin America, like Mexico) for current state or this particular time:
- Hoy la porción está muy grande. = Today the portion is really big (this time).

In this specific sentence, because it describes a habitual, general situation, es muy grande fits very well.
In casual Latin American speech, you may also hear Si la porción está muy grande…, especially if the speaker is thinking of a specific visit or plate.

Why is it es muy grande (indicative) and not sea muy grande (subjunctive) after si?

With si-clauses that express real or likely conditions, Spanish uses the indicative, not the subjunctive:

Si la porción es muy grande, compartimos el plato.
Si llegas temprano, comemos juntos.

The subjunctive sea almost never follows si in this kind of conditional.
Other correct patterns with si are:

Real/likely: Si viene, comemos. (present indicative)
Hypothetical: Si viniera, comeríamos. (imperfect subjunctive + conditional)
Contrary to past fact: Si hubiera venido, habríamos comido. (pluperfect subjunctive + conditional perfect)

So si sea is basically wrong here; si es is the correct form.

Why is it compartimos and not a future form like compartiremos?

In Spanish, when talking about future conditions, it’s very common (and more natural) to use the present tense in both parts of the conditional:

Si la porción es muy grande, compartimos el plato.

This can mean:

a general habit: Whenever the portion is big, we share one dish.
or a decision about the future (similar to English we’ll share), depending on context.

You can say:

Si la porción es muy grande, compartiremos el plato.

That sounds more like a specific future situation you’re planning for, but it’s still correct.
The original with compartimos is more neutral and is perfect for habits or general rules.

Could we change the word order and say Compartimos el plato si la porción es muy grande?

Yes, that’s perfectly correct. Both orders are natural:

Si la porción es muy grande, compartimos el plato.
Compartimos el plato si la porción es muy grande.

In Spanish, placing the si-clause first or second doesn’t change the meaning; it only slightly changes the rhythm/emphasis, similar to English:

If the portion is very big, we share the dish.
We share the dish if the portion is very big.

Why is there no nosotros? How do we know it means “we share”?

In Spanish, subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, nosotros, etc.) are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the subject.

compartimos is the 1st person plural (we) form of compartir.
So compartimos el plato automatically means “we share the dish.”

You could say nosotros compartimos el plato, but:

Adding nosotros usually emphasizes the subject a bit more:
- Nosotros compartimos el plato. (We are the ones who share the dish.)
In a neutral sentence like this, it’s more natural just to use compartimos with no pronoun.

What exactly does porción mean here? Is it the same as “portion” in English?

Yes, porción is very close to English portion:

It means a serving or amount of food given to one person (or that would normally be for one person).
Examples:
- Una porción de pastel = a slice/portion of cake
- Las porciones son muy grandes en ese restaurante. = The portions are very large in that restaurant.

A couple of notes:

porción is feminine → la porción, una porción.
In Spain, ración is also very common for a serving, but porción is widely understood everywhere in Latin America.

What does plato mean here: the physical plate, or the dish/meal?

In Spanish, plato can mean both:

The physical object (plate):
- Pon los platos en la mesa. = Put the plates on the table.
A dish / course / meal:
- un plato de pasta = a pasta dish
- plato principal = main course

In compartimos el plato in this context (talking about portion size in a restaurant), it clearly means:

the dish/meal that was ordered, not just the piece of ceramic.

So the idea is: If the serving of the dish is very big, we share that one order between two people.

Why is it entre dos personas and not para dos personas?

entre and para express different ideas:

entre dos personas = between two people
- Focuses on dividing or sharing something among people.
- Compartimos el plato entre dos personas. = We share/split the dish between two people.
para dos personas = for two people
- Focuses on who it is intended or suitable for.
- Una mesa para dos personas. = A table for two people.
- Un plato para dos personas. = A dish (sized) for two people.

In your sentence, we’re talking about splitting one dish, so entre dos personas is the natural choice.

Can we drop personas and just say entre dos? Or say entre los dos?

Yes:

entre dos is very common and natural when it’s obvious we’re talking about people:
- Compartimos el plato entre dos. (We share the dish between two.)
- Context will normally make it clear that it means two people.
entre los dos is also common:
- Compartimos el plato entre los dos. = We share the dish between the two of us.

Subtle differences:

entre dos → slightly more general: just “between two (people)”.
entre los dos → sounds more like “between the two of us / between the two specified people”.

All of these are acceptable; your original entre dos personas is just a bit more explicit and neutral.

Why do we say la porción and el plato (definite articles) instead of una porción or un plato?

The definite articles (la, el) indicate that we’re talking about a specific portion and a specific dish in context:

la porción = the portion (that we’re served / that comes with this dish)
el plato = the dish (that we ordered)

If you said:

Si una porción es muy grande…
Si un plato es muy grande…

it would sound more generic or theoretical, like “If a portion is very big…” (any portion, in general).

In restaurant or real-life context, speakers naturally think of the portion and the dish they get, so la porción and el plato are the most natural choices.

How is porción pronounced, and where is the stress?

porción is pronounced approximately like:

por-SYON (using English sounds)

Details:

The stress falls on the last syllable: por-CIÓN.
The ción ending is always stressed and has an accent mark: -ción.
In Latin American Spanish, c before i is pronounced like s:
- porción → /por-sjón/ (roughly)

So you should clearly stress the second syllable: por-CIÓN.