Cuando el día es bonito, un paseo sencillo es relajante.

When the day is nice, a simple walk is relaxing.

Breakdown of Cuando el día es bonito, un paseo sencillo es relajante.

• un: a
• ser: to be
• el día: the day
• cuando: when
• bonito: nice
• relajante: relaxing
• sencillo: simple
• el paseo: the walk

Questions & Answers about Cuando el día es bonito, un paseo sencillo es relajante.

Why is bonito used here to describe día, instead of something like hermoso or bueno?

Bonito suggests that the day is pleasant or nice in a general, everyday sense. Hermoso can be a bit more poetic or lofty, and bueno often focuses on moral or quality connotations (‘good’). In Spain, saying el día es bonito naturally conveys that the day is pleasant, sunny, or enjoyable.

Why do we use es instead of está in el día es bonito?

We use es (the verb ser) because we’re describing a general, permanent or characteristic quality of the day. Estar normally indicates a temporary state or condition, and would sound odd here. Es bonito fits because it’s describing an inherent trait, not something temporary.

Can I say un simple paseo instead of un paseo sencillo, and would it mean the same?

You can say un simple paseo, and it would generally mean something similar to un paseo sencillo. They both suggest a basic or uncomplicated walk. However, sencillo slightly emphasizes ease and lack of fuss, while simple can sometimes imply it’s nothing special or unremarkable. Both are understood in everyday conversation.

Why do we say es relajante and not something like está relajante?

The adjective relajante describes a characteristic effect of the walk—it inherently relaxes you. When we talk about the nature of an activity or thing as relaxing, we generally use ser. Using está relajante would be very unusual in Spanish because it would imply a temporary state, and it just isn’t how native speakers talk about activities that are generally relaxing.

Is it also correct to use Cuando hace buen día instead of Cuando el día es bonito?

Yes, Cuando hace buen día is another common way to express that the weather is nice. Hace buen día focuses more on the weather conditions (sunny, warm, etc.). Cuando el día es bonito paints a slightly more general picture, but both forms are used frequently in Spain.