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El pasillo del restaurante es tan ancho que caben dos sillas.

El pasillo del restaurante es tan ancho que caben dos sillas.
The restaurant’s hallway is so wide that two chairs fit.
FromLesson 19inHardcore Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about El pasillo del restaurante es tan ancho que caben dos sillas.

Why is it es and not está?
Use ser (es) for inherent or objective characteristics like width. A hallway’s width is seen as a permanent property: El pasillo es ancho. Use estar for temporary states or how something fits you: Este pantalón me está ancho (These pants are loose on me).
What does del mean in pasillo del restaurante? Why not de el?
Del is the mandatory contraction of de + el (of the). You must say del restaurante, not de el restaurante. With feminine nouns, there’s no contraction: de la cafetería.
How does the structure tan … que work? Can I use tanto … que instead?
  • tan + adjective/adverb + que expresses result: Es tan ancho que caben dos sillas (It’s so wide that two chairs fit).
  • tanto/tanta/tantos/tantas + noun + que with nouns: Hay tanta gente que no se puede pasar (There’s so much people that you can’t pass). Don’t mix them: not tanto ancho; use tan ancho.
Who is the subject of caben in que caben dos sillas, and why is it plural?
The subject is dos sillas. Spanish verbs agree with the subject in number: plural subject → caben. Literally: “two chairs fit.”
Could I say cabe dos sillas?
No. Cabe is singular. Say cabe una silla (one chair fits) or caben dos sillas (two chairs fit).
Do I need to add en él (in it) after caben dos sillas?
It’s optional. The container (the hallway) is clear from context, so … que caben dos sillas is fine. For extra clarity you can say … que en él caben dos sillas or … que caben dos sillas en él.
Is caber the same as entrar?

They often overlap, but:

  • caber focuses on capacity/space: En este ascensor caben 8 personas (The elevator can hold 8 people).
  • entrar focuses on physically entering/fitting through an opening: ¿Entra el sofá por la puerta? (Will the sofa go through the door?) In Spain, caber sounds very natural for capacity.
Can I change the word order to dos sillas caben?
Yes. Caben dos sillas (verb first) is common with new information or in result clauses. Dos sillas caben is also correct and can emphasize “two chairs.”
Is ancho the best adjective here? What about amplio?
  • ancho = wide (literal width). Perfect for corridors and doors.
  • amplio = spacious/broad (more general sense of roomy). You can also say Es tan amplio que caben dos sillas, but if you mean literal width, ancho is the most precise.
How else can I say “wide enough for two chairs”?
  • Es lo suficientemente ancho como para que quepan dos sillas.
  • Es bastante ancho como para que quepan dos sillas. Both are idiomatic.
Why is it que without an accent, not qué?
Here que is a conjunction (“that”) introducing the result clause, so there’s no accent. Qué (with accent) is used in questions/exclamations.
Does the sentence imply side by side?
Not strictly. Caber just means “to fit.” If you want to be explicit, you can say … que caben dos sillas lado a lado / en paralelo.
Are we talking about wheelchairs?
Not necessarily. Sillas means chairs. If you mean wheelchairs, specify: sillas de ruedas — … es tan ancho que caben dos sillas de ruedas.
Is caber irregular?

Yes. Key forms:

  • Present: yo quepo, tú cabes, él/ella cabe, nosotros cabemos, vosotros cabéis, ellos caben
  • Subjunctive: quepa, quepas, quepa, quepamos, quepáis, quepan
  • Preterite: cupe, cupiste, cupo, cupimos, cupisteis, cupieron
Could I say tan ancho para que?
No. The result structure is tan + adj + que. Para que introduces purpose, not result. Use … tan ancho que…, or the “suficientemente” option: … lo suficientemente ancho como para que…
Is pasillo the best word in Spain? What about corredor?
In Spain, pasillo is the standard word for a building’s hallway/corridor. Corredor can be understood but is less common for indoor hallways and has other meanings (broker, runner, passage).
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