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

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.