Breakdown of Mi teléfono está conectado al wifi de la biblioteca.
Questions & Answers about Mi teléfono está conectado al wifi de la biblioteca.
In Spanish, ser and estar both translate as “to be”, but they’re used differently.
- Estar is used for:
- temporary states or conditions
- locations
- results of an action
Here, “estar conectado” describes a current state of the phone: right now, it is connected. That can change, so it’s temporary.
- ✅ Mi teléfono está conectado al wifi.
- ❌ Mi teléfono es conectado al wifi. (This sounds wrong or very odd in Spanish.)
So está is correct because we’re talking about the current connection status, not a permanent characteristic of the phone.
“Al” is a contraction of “a” + “el”:
- a = to / at
- el = the (masculine singular)
When a + el come together, they must contract into al:
- a + el wifi → al wifi
- a + el parque → al parque
You cannot write or say “a el wifi” in standard Spanish; it will always become “al wifi”.
In most of the Spanish-speaking world, “wifi” is treated as masculine, so you say:
- el wifi
- al wifi (a + el wifi)
- con el wifi de la biblioteca
Some people might say “la wifi”, especially if they are thinking of “la red wifi” (the Wi‑Fi network), but the most common and standard usage is masculine: el wifi.
“Del” is a contraction of “de” + “el”. You only use it before masculine singular nouns:
- de + el parque → del parque
But “biblioteca” is a feminine noun:
- la biblioteca
So you keep it separate:
- de + la biblioteca → de la biblioteca (no contraction)
That’s why it’s “del parque” but “de la biblioteca”.
de la biblioteca = literally “of the library”
- emphasizes possession/origin: the library’s wifi (the wifi that belongs to or is provided by the library)
en la biblioteca = “in the library”
- emphasizes location: being physically inside the library
So:
Mi teléfono está conectado al wifi de la biblioteca.
= My phone is connected to the library’s wifi network (it could be inside or even outside the building, as long as it’s that network).Estoy en la biblioteca.
= I am in the library (physically).
Using “de” here is about whose wifi it is, not where the phone is.
“Conectado” is the past participle of the verb conectar, but in this sentence it functions as an adjective, describing the state of the phone:
- Mi teléfono (masculine singular)
- está conectado (masculine singular to agree with “teléfono”)
Agreement:
- Masculine singular: conectado (teléfono, computador)
- Feminine singular: conectada (computadora, tablet)
- Masculine plural: conectados
- Feminine plural: conectadas
Examples:
- Mi teléfono está conectado.
- Mi computadora está conectada.
So it agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes.
You could say “Mi teléfono se conecta al wifi de la biblioteca”, but it doesn’t mean exactly the same thing:
Mi teléfono está conectado al wifi.
- Focuses on the current state: the phone is connected right now.
Mi teléfono se conecta al wifi de la biblioteca.
- Sounds more like a habit or action: my phone connects (by itself) to the library’s wifi (for example, whenever I go there).
Without “se”, “Mi teléfono conecta al wifi” is grammatically possible but sounds unnatural; Spanish speakers usually say “se conecta” when something connects itself.
For the idea “is connected to,” “está conectado a” is the most natural.
Both patterns exist, but they’re used differently:
Before the noun: unstressed possessive adjective
- mi teléfono = my phone
- tu teléfono = your phone
- su teléfono = his/her/their/your (formal) phone
This is the most common and neutral way to say “my phone.”
After the noun: stressed possessive
- el teléfono mío = the phone of mine / my phone
- el teléfono tuyo = your phone
- el teléfono suyo = his/her/their/your (formal) phone
This sounds more emphatic or contrasting:
- No es el teléfono de Juan; es el teléfono mío.
= It’s not Juan’s phone; it’s my phone.
In your sentence, there’s no emphasis or contrast, so “Mi teléfono está conectado…” is the natural choice.
In Latin America, people commonly say:
- teléfono (general word)
- teléfono celular or just celular (cell phone)
Examples:
- Mi celular está conectado al wifi de la biblioteca.
- ¿Dónde está mi teléfono?
In Spain, people more often say móvil:
- Mi móvil está conectado al wifi.
Since you specified Latin American Spanish, “teléfono” or “celular” are the most typical choices.
In Spanish, after “conectado”, the most natural preposition to indicate what you’re connected to is “a”:
- conectado a la red = connected to the network
- conectado al wifi = connected to the wifi
Other options sound odd or mean something different:
conectado con wifi
- Could be interpreted as “connected using wifi,” but it’s not the usual phrasing for this idea.
conectado en wifi
- Not natural Spanish; people don’t say this.
So the standard structure is: estar conectado a + [network/device].
In normal, everyday Spanish, this kind of word order is not natural. Spanish word order is flexible in some contexts, but you generally keep:
[Subject] + [verb estar] + [adjective/participle] + [complements]
So:
- ✅ Mi teléfono está conectado al wifi de la biblioteca.
Reordering it as “Mi teléfono al wifi de la biblioteca está conectado” might be used only in very specific poetic or dramatic contexts, but it sounds strange and overly stylized in normal conversation. Use the original order.
There are two common pronunciations in Spanish, depending on region:
- Like “WEE-fee” (most common in Spain)
- Like “WAI-fai” (similar to English “Wi‑Fi,” common in much of Latin America)
Both are widely understood. In Latin America, you’ll often hear something close to the English sound, “WAI-fai”.