Breakdown of Colgué un espejo enorme para reflejar más luz en el cuarto.
yo
I
un
a
en
in
para
to
el cuarto
the room
más
more
la luz
the light
reflejar
to reflect
colgar
to hang
el espejo
the mirror
enorme
huge
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Spanish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Colgué un espejo enorme para reflejar más luz en el cuarto.
What tense and subject does colgué represent, and why is the preterite used instead of the imperfect?
colgué is the first-person singular (yo) preterite of colgar (“to hang”). The preterite describes a specific, completed action in the past (“I hung …”), whereas the imperfect (colgaba) would suggest an ongoing or habitual action (“I was hanging” or “I used to hang”).
Why does colgué carry an accent on the u?
In the preterite of -ar verbs, the final syllable in the first-person singular is stressed and must be marked with an accent. Additionally, the accent on ú ensures that the u is pronounced before the e (otherwise gue would mute the u). Without the accent, you’d write colgue, which would both misplace the stress and drop the u sound.
Why is the adjective enorme placed after espejo? Could you say un enorme espejo?
Spanish adjectives typically follow the noun: un espejo enorme (“a huge mirror”). Placing enorme before the noun—un enorme espejo—is also correct and stylistically emphasizes the mirror’s size as an inherent or dramatic quality, but the default word order is noun + adjective.
Why is para + infinitive (para reflejar) used here? Could we use a gerund or another structure?
para + infinitive expresses purpose: “in order to ….” You need the infinitive (reflejar) after para, not the gerund (reflejando). A gerund would indicate a simultaneous action (“reflecting”) rather than the reason or goal.
Could we rewrite the sentence with para que + subjunctive instead of para + infinitive?
Yes, but you must introduce a new subject for the subjunctive. For instance:
“Colgué un espejo enorme para que la luz se reflejara más en el cuarto.”
Here la luz is the subject of reflejara (subjunctive). para + infinitive is more direct when the subject doesn’t change (the mirror reflecting light itself).
Why is there no article before luz in para reflejar más luz?
luz here is uncountable, referring to the general concept of light. When talking about “more light” in an abstract sense, Spanish drops the article and uses más directly before the noun (compare “more water,” más agua).
The sentence ends with en el cuarto. What’s the nuance of cuarto vs habitación?
Both cuarto and habitación mean “room,” but cuarto is more colloquial and widely used in spoken Spanish; habitación is a bit more formal or technical (e.g., hotel contexts).
Why is un used in un espejo enorme instead of el? When would you switch to el espejo?
un is an indefinite article introducing a new object into the conversation (“I hung up a mirror”). Once you’re referring back to that same, specific mirror, you’d switch to the definite article:
“Lo coloqué allí. El espejo refleja la luz directamente hacia la ventana.”