Mi tío quiere vender su mesa antigua a un buen precio.

My uncle wants to sell his antique table at a good price.

Breakdown of Mi tío quiere vender su mesa antigua a un buen precio.

• querer: to want
• un: a
• bueno: good
• mi: my
• la mesa: the table
• vender: to sell
• el tío: the uncle
• su: his
• antiguo: antique
• el precio: the price

Questions & Answers about Mi tío quiere vender su mesa antigua a un buen precio.

Why do we use quiere (form of "querer") instead of another verb in that position?

Spanish uses the verb querer to express the idea of "wanting" to do something. In our sentence, quiere is the third-person singular present tense form, referring to "he wants" or "she wants" (in this case, "my uncle wants"). It’s used here before vender (to sell) to show desire or intention.

What is the difference between antigua and other adjectives like vieja or antigua placed before or after the noun?

• Antigua typically means "antique" or "old" but often suggests historical or special value.
• Vieja simply means "old" in a general sense.
• In Spanish, adjectives can sometimes come before or after the noun, but in the case of mesa antigua, putting antigua after mesa emphasizes that it's specifically an old/antique piece of furniture. Placing it before might change the nuance slightly, but una antigua mesa can sometimes imply an old mesa with a bit of sentimental or historical significance. The standard choice is mesa antigua.

Why do we say su mesa instead of la mesa in this sentence?

Using su clarifies possession (i.e., "his table"). If we just said la mesa, we would lose that detail and it might sound like a table in general or the table that both speaker and listener know about. Su mesa makes it clear it belongs to the uncle.

What does a un buen precio literally translate to, and why is it used here?

Literally, a un buen precio translates to "at a good price." In Spanish, using a with pricing is very common when describing the cost or selling price of an item. It’s somewhat similar to saying "for a good price" in English, but a is the typical preposition in this context when you’re specifying price conditions.

Could we say Quiere vender in a different way, like using desea instead of quiere?

Yes, desea vender ("he wishes to sell") is also correct Spanish, but quiere vender is more commonly used in everyday speech to mean "he wants to sell." Desea tends to sound a bit more formal or polite. Both convey the idea of wanting to do something, just with slightly different registers.