Abro la puerta para dejar entrar la luz del sol.

I open the door to let in the sunlight.

Breakdown of Abro la puerta para dejar entrar la luz del sol.

• yo: I
• para: to
• abrir: to open
• la luz: the light
• dejar entrar: to let in
• del: of
• el sol: the sun
• la puerta: the door

Questions & Answers about Abro la puerta para dejar entrar la luz del sol.

Why do we use abro (present tense) instead of a different tense?

In Spanish, the simple present tense (such as abro) can describe an action happening right now or a habitual action. If you’re physically opening the door at this moment, abro is appropriate.

Why is la puerta feminine?

Spanish nouns have grammatical gender. Puerta is simply classified as feminine, so it uses the article la. Other words referring to doors or gates can also be feminine (e.g., la portería).

What does dejar entrar mean literally, and why is it used here?

Dejar means to let or to allow, and entrar means to enter. Together, dejar entrar literally means to allow to enter. It’s used here to emphasize that you’re opening the door so that the sunlight can come in freely.

What’s the purpose of para in para dejar entrar?

Para expresses the purpose or intention of the action. In this sentence, abro la puerta (I open the door) is done para dejar entrar la luz del sol (in order to let in the sunlight).

Why do we say la luz del sol instead of la luz de el sol?

When de is followed by el, they contract to form del. So grammatically, la luz de el sol becomes la luz del sol (the sunlight). This contraction is mandatory in Spanish.