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El bolsillo izquierdo está vacío.

El bolsillo izquierdo está vacío.
The left pocket is empty.
FromLesson 18inHardcore Spanish (Spain)

Breakdown of El bolsillo izquierdo está vacío.

estar
to be
el bolsillo
the pocket
vacío
empty
izquierdo
left

Questions & Answers about El bolsillo izquierdo está vacío.

Why is está used instead of es?

Use estar for states or conditions that can change. A pocket being empty is a temporary condition, so está vacío is the natural choice. With containers, Spanish almost always uses estar for adjectives like vacío/lleno:

  • La botella está vacía.
  • El cajón está lleno.

Using ser here (es vacío) would sound odd or philosophical (like “is inherently empty”), which is not what you mean.

Why do both adjectives end in -o: izquierdo, vacío?

They agree with the gender and number of bolsillo, which is masculine singular. If the noun were feminine singular, both adjectives would be feminine singular:

  • La mano izquierda está vacía.
Why does izquierdo come after bolsillo?

Most descriptive adjectives (colors, shapes, nationalities, and left/right: izquierdo/derecho) follow the noun: el bolsillo izquierdo.
The adjective vacío is in the predicate after the verb (está vacío), which is where predicate adjectives go.

Can I say El bolsillo de la izquierda instead of El bolsillo izquierdo?

Yes. Both are natural, with a tiny nuance:

  • El bolsillo izquierdo treats “left” as an inherent label of that pocket.
  • El bolsillo de la izquierda means “the pocket on the left (side).” In everyday speech they’re interchangeable. Don’t say El bolsillo a la izquierda (alone) before a noun; use de la izquierda or a relative clause: El bolsillo que está a la izquierda.
What’s the difference between bolsillo, bolso, bolsa, and cartera in Spain?
  • bolsillo: pocket (in clothes)
  • bolso: handbag/purse
  • bolsa: bag (shopping/plastic bag), also “stock market” (la Bolsa)
  • cartera: wallet (in Spain); in many Latin American countries, cartera can mean handbag, and wallet is often billetera
Why does vacío have an accent?

The accent on í breaks a diphthong and marks the stress: va-CÍ-o (three syllables). Without the accent it would be pronounced as two syllables (incorrect here). Note:

  • vacío can be an adjective (“empty”) or a noun (“vacuum/emptiness”).
  • It’s also a verb form: yo vacío (“I empty”). Context tells them apart.
  • Preterite: él/ella vació (“he/she emptied”) with accent on -ó.
Why does está have an accent? How is it different from esta?
  • está (with accent) = “is” (3rd person singular of estar).
  • esta (no accent) = “this” (feminine demonstrative determiner), as in esta chaqueta.
    The accent distinguishes the verb from the determiner.
How do I pronounce the whole sentence in Spain?

Approximate: “el bol-SEE-yo eeth-KYER-do es-TAH ba-THEE-o.”

  • In most of Spain, z and c before i/e sound like English “th” in “thin”: iz-, -cí- → “eeth-”, “-THEE-”.
  • ll in bolsillo is usually like English “y” (many speakers don’t distinguish ll and y).
How do I make it plural?

Make everything agree:

  • Los bolsillos izquierdos están vacíos.
    Use this if you’re talking about multiple left pockets (e.g., across several garments). If you mean both pockets on one garment, you’d say:
  • Los bolsillos están vacíos. (both pockets are empty)
  • El bolsillo derecho/izquierdo está vacío. (right/left pocket)
What’s the opposite of izquierdo and of vacío?
  • Opposite of izquierdo is derecho: El bolsillo derecho.
  • Opposite of vacío is lleno: El bolsillo izquierdo está lleno.
Can I drop the article El, or should I say mi?

You normally keep the article: El bolsillo izquierdo está vacío.
To be explicit about possession, say Mi bolsillo izquierdo está vacío.
Spanish often uses the definite article where English uses a possessive, when context makes possession obvious (e.g., talking about your own clothes).

Are there natural alternatives to está vacío?

Yes:

  • No hay nada en el bolsillo izquierdo. (There’s nothing in the left pocket.)
  • El bolsillo izquierdo no tiene nada. More formal: El bolsillo izquierdo se encuentra vacío.
    Colloquial when speaking about money: Tengo los bolsillos vacíos. (I’m broke.)
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