Por la noche, mi sobrina duerme con una almohada muy suave que le regalé.

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Breakdown of Por la noche, mi sobrina duerme con una almohada muy suave que le regalé.

• la noche: the night
• mi: my
• muy: very
• con: with
• dormir: to sleep
• que: that
• la sobrina: the niece
• le: to her
• la almohada: the pillow
• regalar: to give

Questions & Answers about Por la noche, mi sobrina duerme con una almohada muy suave que le regalé.

Why is Por la noche used instead of mentioning a specific time like "a las diez de la noche"?

Por la noche is a common way to refer generally to nighttime in Spanish. It doesn’t specify the exact time, just that it’s during the night hours. It’s similar to saying “at night” in English, with no specific hour mentioned.

What is the difference between duerme and está durmiendo in Spanish?

In Spanish, duerme (present indicative) is used for habitual actions or for stating a general fact. Está durmiendo (present progressive) indicates an action happening right now. In this sentence, using duerme helps convey that this is a routine or repeated action each night.

What does almohada mean, and how is it different from cojín?

Almohada is a pillow specifically used for sleeping, typically found on a bed. Cojín is more like a decorative cushion or throw pillow, often placed on sofas, chairs, or used for decoration.

Why is it que le regalé and not que regalé a ella?

In Spanish, the indirect object pronoun le replaces “to her,” so you don’t normally repeat the phrase “a ella” unless you want to emphasize or clarify. Le regalé means “I gave her as a gift.” This pronoun placement follows typical Spanish grammar rules for indirect objects.

Why is regalé in the past tense (pretérito)?

Regalé is in the pretérito tense because it describes a completed action in the past — specifically, the action of gifting the pillow. Once the gift is given, it’s considered finished, so the pretérito is appropriate.