Breakdown of Es necesario hacer ejercicio para mantenerse en buena salud.
ser
to be
bueno
good
en
in
para
to
la salud
the health
hacer
to do
necesario
necessary
mantenerse
to stay
el ejercicio
the exercise
Questions & Answers about Es necesario hacer ejercicio para mantenerse en buena salud.
Why do we say es necesario instead of está necesario?
In Spanish, expressions like es necesario ("it is necessary") use ser rather than estar to indicate a general necessity or characteristic. Estar is reserved for more temporary states or conditions. So, es necesario conveys that “it is necessary” in an impersonal, general sense.
Why is hacer ejercicio used here and not just ejercitar?
Hacer ejercicio is the most common way in everyday Spanish to express “to do exercise” or “to work out.” While you might see ejercitar, it usually appears in more formal contexts or in phrases like ejercitar el músculo (“to exercise the muscle”). Hacer ejercicio is the standard phrase for “to exercise” in Spanish.
What is the function of para before mantenerse?
When you want to express a purpose or reason in Spanish, you use para + infinitive. Here, para mantenerse means “in order to maintain oneself (in good health).” So hacer ejercicio para mantenerse indicates the purpose of doing exercise.
Why is mantenerse reflexive?
Mantener can be used transitively as “to maintain something,” but mantenerse is used reflexively when you’re talking about staying or keeping yourself in a certain condition. Saying para mantenerse en buena salud means “to keep oneself in good health.”
Why is it en buena salud rather than con buena salud?
In Spanish, you often use en followed by an adjective or noun to describe a state or condition that someone is in, such as estar en buena forma (“to be in good shape”). Con buena salud is not incorrect, but en buena salud or mantenerse sano are more idiomatic when suggesting the ongoing condition of being healthy.
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