Relajarse es bueno para la salud.

Relaxing is good for your health.

Breakdown of Relajarse es bueno para la salud.

• ser: to be
• bueno: good
• para: for
• la salud: the health
• relajarse: relaxing

Questions & Answers about Relajarse es bueno para la salud.

Why is relajarse used in the infinitive?

Using relajarse in the infinitive turns it into the subject of the sentence. In Spanish, an infinitive can function like an English gerund (e.g., “relaxing”) to express a general idea or concept. Here, relajarse (to relax oneself) is the focus of “what is good for your health.”

Why is it a reflexive verb (relajarse) and not just relajar?

Relajarse is the reflexive form, meaning “to relax oneself.” Spanish often uses reflexive verbs to indicate that the subject is performing the action on itself. Using relajarse emphasizes that you are relaxing yourself. If you said relajar, it would be more about relaxing something or someone else.

What does para la salud mean literally?

Para la salud literally translates to “for the health.” Since para can mean “for” in the sense of “in order to benefit,” the phrase means that relaxing benefits one’s health or contributes to good health.

Could I replace para with por in this sentence?

In general, no. Para in this context indicates purpose or benefit (“in order to be good for”), whereas por often relates to cause, reason, or a sense of “through” or “by.” Saying por la salud would sound unnatural here and wouldn’t convey the intended meaning of something being beneficial.

Why do we say la salud and not salud alone?

Spanish generally uses the definite article (la) before nouns when talking about concepts or general things like “health,” “life,” or “money.” Even if English speakers often drop “the” in these contexts, Spanish typically retains the article to refer to the concept in a general sense.