Breakdown of Después del examen, él se siente relajado y se sienta en la cabaña a leer.
Questions & Answers about Después del examen, él se siente relajado y se sienta en la cabaña a leer.
In Spanish, when después is followed by a noun, you normally need de:
- después de + noun → después de la clase (after the class)
- With el, de + el contracts to del → después del examen
So:
- ❌ después el examen – missing the de
- ❌ después examen – also missing the de
- ✅ después del examen – correct: después de + el examen → del examen
You could also say:
- Después de hacer el examen = After taking the exam
Here después de is followed by an infinitive (hacer).
Del is the contraction of de + el:
- de + el examen → del examen
Spanish always contracts de + el to del, and a + el to al:
- del profesor = de el profesor
- al profesor = a el profesor
It only contracts with el the article (the), not él the pronoun (he). You never write dél or ál.
Él with an accent is the subject pronoun he.
El without an accent is the definite article the (masculine singular).
In the sentence:
- él se siente relajado → he feels relaxed
If you write el se siente relajado, it would look like the feels relaxed, which is wrong. So the accent is necessary to show it is the pronoun.
You can omit él:
- Después del examen, se siente relajado y se sienta en la cabaña a leer.
Spanish usually drops subject pronouns because the verb form (se siente, se sienta) already tells you it’s he/she.
Adding él is optional and is used when you want to:
- Emphasize the subject: Él (and not someone else) feels relaxed.
- Clarify who he is if the context is confusing or there are several people.
So both are grammatically correct; the difference is mainly emphasis or clarity.
They are two different verbs:
sentirse (reflexive) – to feel (an emotion or physical state)
- él se siente relajado = he feels relaxed
sentarse (reflexive) – to sit down
- él se sienta = he sits down / he takes a seat
So:
- se siente → from sentirse (e → ie): how someone feels
- se sienta → from sentarse (e → ie): the action of sitting down
They look almost the same, so listening carefully to the vowel and context is important.
In se siente and se sienta, se is a reflexive (or pronominal) pronoun.
- sentir = to feel (something): Él siente frío (He feels cold)
sentirse = to feel (a certain way): Él se siente relajado (He feels relaxed)
- sentar = to sit (someone) down: La madre sienta al niño (The mother sits the child down)
- sentarse = to sit down (oneself): Él se sienta (He sits down)
The reflexive pronoun se marks that the subject does the action to themselves (he feels himself relaxed; he sits himself down). Some verbs are almost always used in this reflexive/pronominal form with this meaning.
Relajado is an adjective meaning relaxed. It must agree in gender and number with the subject:
In the sentence, the subject is él (he = masculine singular), so:
- él se siente relajado (masculine singular)
Other possibilities:
- ella se siente relajada (she feels relaxed – feminine singular)
- ellos se sienten relajados (they feel relaxed – masculine/mixed group)
- ellas se sienten relajadas (they feel relaxed – all female group)
So the form of relajado changes to match the person you are talking about.
Spanish present simple here works similarly to English present simple in a narrative or general description:
- Después del examen, él se siente relajado y se sienta…
= After the exam, he feels relaxed and sits…
This can describe:
- A typical, repeated situation (what he usually does after exams), or
- A “vivid” narrative present (telling a story as if it is happening now).
If you wanted a specific, one-time past event, you could say:
- Después del examen, él se sintió relajado y se sentó en la cabaña a leer.
(After the exam, he felt relaxed and sat in the cabin to read.)
The preposition:
- a usually indicates movement/direction: Va a la cabaña (He goes to the cabin).
- en indicates location: Está en la cabaña (He is in the cabin).
In the sentence, the action is:
- First, he sits down (movement: se sienta).
- Then, where is he sitting? en la cabaña → in the cabin.
So we use en because we’re talking about where he is when he is sitting, not where he is going.
Cabaña generally means a small, simple structure, often:
- A cabin, hut, or cottage,
- Typically made of wood, maybe in the countryside or mountains,
- More rustic than a normal house (casa).
In Spain, cabaña suggests something rural or cozy, not a regular apartment or city house.
After sentarse, Spanish commonly uses a + infinitive to express purpose:
- sentarse a leer = to sit down to read
- sentarse a comer = to sit down to eat
So:
- se sienta en la cabaña a leer
= he sits down in the cabin to read (for the purpose of reading)
You could say se sienta en la cabaña para leer, and it would still be correct, but sentarse a + infinitive is the most natural, common pattern.
For a group of men or a mixed group (ellos):
- Después del examen, ellos se sienten relajados y se sientan en la cabaña a leer.
Changes:
- ellos instead of él
- se sienten (3rd person plural of sentirse)
- relajados (plural masculine/mixed)
- se sientan (3rd person plural of sentarse)
For a group of only women (ellas):
- Después del examen, ellas se sienten relajadas y se sientan en la cabaña a leer.