ELONIO
Log inSign up

Lo mejor del día es desayunar con mi familia.

Lo mejor del día es desayunar con mi familia.
The best part of the day is having breakfast with my family.
FromLesson 17inHardcore Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Lo mejor del día es desayunar con mi familia.

What does the lo in lo mejor mean?
Lo is the neuter article. It turns adjectives into abstract nouns: lo mejor = “the best (thing/part)”, lo peor = “the worst (thing)”, lo importante = “what’s important.” It doesn’t agree for gender, and it’s inherently singular. For plural “best things,” you’d say las mejores cosas, not lo mejores.
Why is it es and not está?
Use ser (here, es) to identify, define, or classify something: you’re stating what the best part of the day is. Estar expresses states/locations, not identities. So Lo mejor del día es… is the natural choice.
Why is the infinitive desayunar used instead of desayunando or the noun el desayuno?
Spanish normally uses the infinitive as a noun for actions: Fumar es malo, Leer me relaja. The gerund (desayunando) can’t serve as a subject like English -ing does. You can say el desayuno con mi familia, but that focuses on the mealtime event; desayunar highlights the activity of having breakfast.
Is del a contraction? Can I say de el día?
Yes, del is the mandatory contraction of de + el. You must say del día, never de el día.
Can I flip the order to Desayunar con mi familia es lo mejor del día?
Yes. Both orders are correct. Initial Lo mejor del día… puts emphasis on “the best part,” while initial Desayunar… emphasizes the activity.
Does mejor need to agree in gender/number here?
Not after lo. With lo, the adjective is neuter and invariable: lo mejor, lo peor, lo más bonito. In other contexts, mejor can be plural (mejores): las mejores películas.
Why is it mi familia, not mis familia? Is familia singular?
Familia is grammatically singular, so you use mi. If you name multiple family members, you’d use plural: con mis padres, con mis hermanos. Note that mi familia refers to the group as one unit.
Can I say con la familia or en familia instead of con mi familia?
  • Con la familia often implies “with my family” from context and sounds very natural in Spain.
  • En familia means “as a family/with the family present,” focusing on the family setting: desayunar en familia.
    All three are fine, with slight nuance differences.
Is desayunar ever used with a direct object? Do I need an article?
Yes, you can say what you have for breakfast: Desayuno café y tostadas. You don’t say desayunar el desayuno. An alternative is tomar el desayuno, but in Spain desayunar is more common; in some Latin American countries you’ll hear tomar desayuno (often without the article).
How do I say this in the past or future?
  • Specific past day: Ayer, lo mejor del día fue desayunar con mi familia.
  • Habitual past: Cuando vivía en casa, lo mejor del día era desayunar con mi familia.
  • Future: Lo mejor del día será desayunar con mi familia.
How would I negate it or compare options?
Why not desayunando for “having breakfast”?
Spanish gerunds don’t function as subjects or general nouns the way English -ing forms do. Use the infinitive: Desayunar con mi familia es…, not Desayunando con mi familia es…
Could I say Lo mejor de la mañana… instead of del día?
Yes. Lo mejor de la mañana narrows it to the morning. Lo mejor del día is broader: among everything that happens all day, breakfast is the best part.
What’s the difference between lo mejor del día and el mejor momento del día?
  • Lo mejor del día = the best thing/part (very general).
  • El mejor momento del día = the best moment (focus on a specific time).
    You could say: El mejor momento del día es el desayuno con mi familia.
Could I use el + infinitive, like El desayunar con mi familia es…?
It’s possible but sounds formal/stiff in everyday speech. The bare infinitive is more natural: Desayunar con mi familia es…
Any pronunciation tips for día, desayunar, familia?
  • día: two syllables (dí‑a). The accent marks the stressed í and breaks a diphthong: dee‑AH.
  • desayunar: de‑sa‑yu‑NAR (stress on the last syllable).
  • familia: fa‑MI‑lia (three syllables; the lia is lee‑ah).
Why isn’t there a personal a before mi familia?
Because mi familia isn’t a direct object here; it’s the object of the preposition con. The personal a is used mainly with human direct objects (e.g., Veo a mi familia).
How does this pattern extend to other adjectives?

You can use lo + adjective (or lo más + adjective) + de + noun/time:

  • Lo peor del día es el tráfico.
  • Lo más bonito de la ciudad es el parque.
  • Lo interesante de la película es el final.
Is this phrasing natural in Spain? Any regional differences?
Yes, it’s fully natural in Spain. Regionally, you may hear alternatives like tomar (el) desayuno in parts of Latin America, or frequent use of en familia. In Spain, desayunar and (con/en) familia are the most idiomatic choices here.
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Spanish grammar?”
Spanish grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Spanish

Master Spanish — from Lo mejor del día es desayunar con mi familia to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Start learning Spanish→