Hoy el desayuno consiste en fruta fresca y pan integral.

Today, breakfast consists of fresh fruit and whole-grain bread.

Breakdown of Hoy el desayuno consiste en fruta fresca y pan integral.

• el pan: the bread
• en: in
• la fruta: the fruit
• y: and
• fresco: fresh
• el desayuno: the breakfast
• consistir: to consist
• integral: whole-grain

Questions & Answers about Hoy el desayuno consiste en fruta fresca y pan integral.

Why do we use en after consiste here instead of something else like de?

In Spanish, the verb consistir is almost always followed by en when explaining what something is made up of or includes. Using consiste de would not be standard Spanish usage. Think of consistir en as meaning "to be composed of/to involve."

Why do we say fruta fresca in the singular instead of frutas frescas?

In this sentence, fruta fresca is being used in a general sense to refer to "fresh fruit" as a category or concept, rather than specifying multiple individual fruits. Both forms can be correct depending on context. If you wanted to emphasize multiple specific fruits (e.g., apples, pears, bananas), you could say frutas frescas, but fruta fresca is perfectly typical to speak of fruit in general.

Why is it pan integral? Does integral have another meaning in Spanish?

Integral in Spanish refers to "whole-grain" bread (made from unrefined flour). It doesn't mean "integrated" in this context. So, pan integral is simply "whole-grain bread." When you see integral applied to bread, pasta, etc., you can think of the English phrase "whole wheat" or "whole grain."

Why el desayuno and not something like un desayuno?

In Spanish, mealtimes (like el desayuno, la comida, la cena) are generally referred to with the definite article because they’re considered specific daily events—“the breakfast,” “the lunch,” etc. Using un desayuno would suggest “a breakfast” in a less typical or more indefinite sense. Given this is a daily routine, el desayuno is the natural Spanish choice.