Incluso mi hermano, que suele descansar, dice que es bastante motivador.

to be

Breakdown of Incluso mi hermano, que suele descansar, dice que es bastante motivador.

• mi: my
• descansar: to rest
• que: that
• el hermano: the brother
• decir: to say
• ,: comma
• incluso: even
• soler: usually
• bastante: quite
• motivador: motivating

Questions & Answers about Incluso mi hermano, que suele descansar, dice que es bastante motivador.

What does Incluso mean, and why is it used here?

In Spanish, Incluso generally translates to "even" in English. It’s used for emphasis, indicating that the speaker is including an unexpected or surprising instance. In this sentence, it highlights that even the brother, known for resting rather than being active, finds something motivating.

Why is the phrase que suele descansar used instead of simply que descansa?

The verb suele (from soler) means "to usually do something." So, que suele descansar indicates that it’s the brother’s habitual or typical behavior to rest. If you just say que descansa, it means he rests, but without emphasizing that it’s a regular habit.

Can you explain dice que es bastante motivador?

The phrase dice que es translates to "he says it is," introducing a reported statement. The addition of bastante motivador means "quite motivating" or "quite inspirational." So the brother is basically saying: “I find it quite motivating.”

Is bastante motivador a common phrasing, and could we use synonyms?

Yes, bastante motivador is commonly used to mean "quite motivating." You could replace bastante with other intensifiers like muy ("very") or súper ("super") depending on the level of emphasis. For instance, muy motivador is also perfectly natural, though it slightly changes the intensity of the statement.

How would the meaning or emphasis change if we removed Incluso from the sentence?

Removing Incluso would drop the sense of surprise or unexpectedness. With Incluso, there is an extra emphasis, as if to say, “Even my brother, who usually rests, finds it motivating.” Without it, the sentence simply states that the brother thinks it’s motivating, but doesn’t imply it’s something out of the ordinary for him.