Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Mi camiseta lisa tiene una raya azul, y la de mi hermana tiene dos. - My plain T-shirt has one blue stripe, and my sister’s has two.

Mi camiseta lisa tiene una raya azul, y la de mi hermana tiene dos.

My plain T-shirt has one blue stripe, and my sister’s has two.

Breakdown of Mi camiseta lisa tiene una raya azul, y la de mi hermana tiene dos.

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Questions & Answers about Mi camiseta lisa tiene una raya azul, y la de mi hermana tiene dos.

What does lisa mean here? I thought it meant smooth, so why is it talking about a T‑shirt?

In clothing, liso / lisa most often means plain or without a pattern, not textured.

So:

una camiseta lisa = a plain T‑shirt (no print, no pattern, usually just one solid colour)
pelo liso = straight / smooth hair
pared lisa = smooth wall

In your sentence, lisa tells us the T‑shirt is basically plain (no printed design), and then we add that it has una raya azul (one blue stripe). Context decides whether liso is smooth or plain; with clothes, plain is the usual reading.

Why is the adjective lisa after camiseta? Could I say mi lisa camiseta?

In Spanish, the normal position for most adjectives is after the noun:

camiseta lisa
raya azul
coche nuevo

So mi camiseta lisa is the standard, neutral order.

Putting the adjective before the noun is much less common and usually:

sounds poetic, emotional, or stylistic, or
slightly changes the meaning.

Mi lisa camiseta is possible, but it sounds literary or very marked, not like everyday speech. The natural way to say my plain T‑shirt is mi camiseta lisa.

What exactly does raya mean here? How is it different from línea or franja?

In this context, raya means a stripe (on clothing).

Common uses of raya:

On clothes: una camiseta con rayas = a striped T‑shirt
On paper: un papel con rayas = lined paper
Hair: llevar la raya en medio = to have a centre parting
Geometry/drawing: trazar una raya = to draw a line

Differences:

raya
– everyday word for a stripe / line (often longer, more visible, sometimes repeated).
– very common with clothes.
línea
– more abstract or geometric: a line on a graph, a subway line, a line of text.
– you wouldn’t usually say una camiseta con líneas, you’d say con rayas.
franja
– a band / broad stripe / strip of colour or territory.
– una franja roja on a flag: a wider band, not a fine line.

So in your sentence, una raya azul is a blue stripe (probably fairly narrow), and it’s exactly the right word.

What does la de mi hermana mean? What is la referring to?

La de mi hermana is a way to avoid repeating the noun camiseta.

Earlier you have mi camiseta lisa. After that, you can point to the other one like this:

la de mi hermana ≈ my sister’s one / my sister’s T‑shirt

Here’s how it works:

la = the one (feminine singular, because it stands for camiseta)
de mi hermana = of my sister / my sister’s

So:

Mi camiseta lisa tiene una raya azul, y la de mi hermana tiene dos.
= My plain T‑shirt has one blue stripe, and my sister’s (T‑shirt) has two.

Spanish regularly uses:

el de…, la de…, los de…, las de…
to mean the one(s) belonging to…, for example:
- ¿Cuál coche es el tuyo? – El de Juan. = The one that belongs to Juan.
- Me gustan más las de María. = I like María’s ones more.

Why is the second part just tiene dos? Two what?

Spanish often leaves out repeated words when the meaning is clear.

Full, explicit version:

Mi camiseta lisa tiene una raya azul, y la de mi hermana tiene dos rayas azules.

Because raya and azul were just mentioned, they can be omitted:

…y la de mi hermana tiene dos.
= and my sister’s (T‑shirt) has two (blue stripes).

The listener easily reconstructs:

dos rayas azules.

This kind of ellipsis is very common in Spanish when context makes it obvious what you’re talking about.

Why is it mi and not mí? What’s the difference?

Spanish has two different words:

mi / mis (without accent)
- Possessive adjective: my
- Goes before a noun.
- Examples:
  - mi camiseta = my T‑shirt
  - mis hermanas = my sisters
mí (with accent)
- Stressed pronoun: me (after a preposition).
- Used after a, de, para, por, etc. when you mean me.
- Examples:
  - para mí = for me
  - de mí = of me / about me

In your sentence:

mi camiseta lisa → mi is the possessive my, so it has no accent.

Why is it tiene and not hay? Could I say Mi camiseta lisa hay una raya azul?

You cannot say Mi camiseta lisa hay una raya azul; that’s incorrect.

tener = to have / to possess.
Used when a person or thing has something.
- Mi camiseta lisa tiene una raya azul.
  = My plain T‑shirt has a blue stripe.
haber (as hay) = there is / there are.
Used to talk about existence, normally without a subject noun like mi camiseta.
- Hay una raya azul en mi camiseta lisa.
  = There is a blue stripe on my plain T‑shirt.

So:

With a subject that possesses something → use tener.
To say something exists somewhere → use haber / hay.

Why is it una raya azul and not un raya azul? And when would I say azules?

Agreement rules:

una / un must agree with the gender of the noun.
- raya is feminine → you must use una.
  - una raya azul ✅
  - un raya azul ❌
azul agrees in number, but not in gender.
- Singular: azul
- Plural: azules

So:

una raya azul = one blue stripe
dos rayas azules = two blue stripes
las rayas azules = the blue stripes

In your sentence, we only say azul once, but we understand that for the sister it would be dos rayas azules.

Could I also say Mi camiseta es lisa y tiene una raya azul? Is there any difference?

Yes, that sentence is completely correct:

Mi camiseta es lisa y tiene una raya azul.

Difference in nuance:

Mi camiseta lisa tiene una raya azul
- Packs the information into a noun phrase (mi camiseta lisa).
- Sounds a bit more descriptive, like you’re distinguishing this T‑shirt from others.
Mi camiseta es lisa y tiene una raya azul
- Uses two separate clauses with es and tiene.
- Slightly more neutral; you’re just listing two facts about the T‑shirt.

In everyday speech, the second version (with es) is probably more common, but both are natural.

Why is there a comma before y? Is it required?

This comma is optional, but quite natural.

Mi camiseta lisa tiene una raya azul, y la de mi hermana tiene dos. ✅
Mi camiseta lisa tiene una raya azul y la de mi hermana tiene dos. ✅

Spanish comma rules:

You must not put a comma between the subject and its verb.
Between two independent clauses joined by y, a comma is optional, often used:
- to make the sentence clearer, or
- to mark a slight pause.

Here, both parts are full clauses:

Mi camiseta lisa tiene una raya azul.
La de mi hermana tiene dos.

So adding a comma before y is acceptable, but not compulsory.

Could I replace mi camiseta or la de mi hermana with forms like la mía or la suya? How do those differ?

Yes, you can use stressed possessive pronouns to replace the whole noun phrase:

la mía = mine (feminine singular thing)
la suya = hers / his / yours (formal) (feminine singular thing)

Possible variants:

La mía es lisa y tiene una raya azul, y la suya tiene dos.
= Mine is plain and has one blue stripe, and hers has two.

Differences:

mi camiseta
- Unstressed possessive adjective
- Must go with a noun: mi camiseta, mi coche.
- Neutral, very common.
la mía
- Stressed possessive pronoun
- Replaces the noun + its article:
  - la camiseta mía / mi camiseta → la mía.
- Often used to avoid repetition or to emphasize possession, like English mine / yours.

In your original sentence, mi camiseta and la de mi hermana are the most natural choices, but using la mía / la suya would also be correct in a slightly different phrasing.