El contenedor azul está al fondo del aparcamiento.

The blue container is at the back of the parking lot.

Breakdown of El contenedor azul está al fondo del aparcamiento.

• estar: to be
• del: of the
• azul: blue
• .: period
• el aparcamiento: the parking lot
• al fondo: at the back
• el contenedor: the container

Questions & Answers about El contenedor azul está al fondo del aparcamiento.

Why is está used instead of es in this sentence?

In Spanish, you normally use estar to talk about location of people, objects, and places:

• El contenedor azul está al fondo del aparcamiento.
  → The blue container is (located) at the back of the car park.

Ser is used for more permanent characteristics, identity, origin, time, etc.:

• El contenedor es azul. → The container is blue.
• El aparcamiento es grande. → The car park is big.

So for “where something is,” use estar, not ser (except for events: La fiesta es en mi casa).

What does al fondo mean exactly?

Al fondo literally means “to the back / to the far end,” and as a set phrase it means:

• at the back
• at the far end
• sometimes “in the depths / deep inside,” depending on context

In al fondo del aparcamiento, it means:

• “at the back of the car park”
• “at the far end of the car park”

It does not usually mean “at the bottom” in a vertical sense here (like the bottom of a box). For that, context would make it clear (en el fondo de la caja = at the bottom of the box).

What do al and del mean in al fondo del aparcamiento?

Al and del are mandatory contractions of a preposition plus the masculine singular article el:

• a + el → al

  • al fondo = a el fondo → “to the back / at the back”

• de + el → del

  • del aparcamiento = de el aparcamiento → “of the car park”

In standard Spanish you must contract:

• ✅ al fondo del aparcamiento
• ❌ a el fondo de el aparcamiento

Could I say en el fondo del aparcamiento instead of al fondo del aparcamiento?

You can say en el fondo del aparcamiento, and people will understand you. The difference is subtle:

• al fondo del aparcamiento
  – very idiomatic for “at the back / far end of the car park”
  – common when giving directions

• en el fondo del aparcamiento
  – also understandable as “in the back part of the car park”
  – sounds a bit more like being in that back area than the directional “at the far end”

Some related options and their nuances:

• al final del aparcamiento – at the end of the car park (more linear idea, like “end of the street”)
• detrás del aparcamiento – behind the car park (outside it, on the other side)

Why do we need the article el before contenedor azul?

In Spanish, a specific, singular, countable noun almost always takes an article (el / la, un / una):

• El contenedor azul está al fondo del aparcamiento.
  = The blue container is at the back of the car park.

Leaving the article out here would sound wrong:

• ❌ Contenedor azul está al fondo… (ungrammatical in normal speech)

Articles can be omitted in a few special cases (headlines, labels, professions after ser, etc.), but not in a normal sentence like this one.

Why is it el contenedor azul and not el azul contenedor?

In Spanish, most descriptive adjectives (including colors) usually come after the noun:

• el contenedor azul – the blue container
• el coche rojo – the red car
• la casa grande – the big house

Putting the adjective before the noun (el azul contenedor) is grammatically possible but:

• sounds unusual in everyday speech
• would feel poetic, literary, or very emphatic, as if you want to highlight “blue” in a stylistic way

So the normal, neutral order is noun + adjective: el contenedor azul.

Why doesn’t azul change for gender? How does it change in the plural?

Adjectives in Spanish behave differently depending on their ending:

• Adjectives ending in -o change for gender:

  • niño alto, niña alta

• Many adjectives ending in a consonant or in -e, and many color adjectives like azul,
  do not change for gender; they only change for number:

Singular:

• el contenedor azul – the blue container (masc.)
• la bolsa azul – the blue bag (fem.)

Plural:

• los contenedores azules – the blue containers
• las bolsas azules – the blue bags

So azul → azules in the plural, same for masculine and feminine.

Does contenedor specifically refer to a rubbish/recycling container?

Contenedor is a general word for “container,” but in everyday urban Spanish (Spain) it very often means a large rubbish or recycling bin in the street:

• contenedor de basura – rubbish container
• contenedor de reciclaje / de vidrio / de papel – recycling containers

Other related words:

• cubo de basura – smaller bin (like at home) with a lid
• papelera – litter bin (for paper or small rubbish, often indoors or in parks)

So in a typical city context, el contenedor azul will probably be interpreted as a big blue rubbish/recycling container.

What’s the difference between aparcamiento, parking, and estacionamiento?

All are related to “parking,” but usage depends on region and register.

• aparcamiento

  • Standard in Spain for “car park / parking lot”
  • Neutral, commonly used on signs: aparcamiento público, aparcamiento gratuito

• parking

  • An English loanword, used especially in Spain in informal speech or in names:
    
    • Vamos al parking del centro comercial.
  • Feels more casual or commercial.

• estacionamiento

  • More common in Latin America for “car park / parking lot” and also “the act of parking”
  • In Spain it’s understood but sounds more technical/formal or Latin-American.

In the sentence given, aparcamiento is the normal, everyday word in European Spanish.

Is aparcamiento masculine or feminine, and how do adjectives agree with it?

Aparcamiento is masculine:

• el aparcamiento – the car park
• un aparcamiento grande – a big car park

Adjectives must agree in gender and number:

• el aparcamiento grande – the big car park
• el aparcamiento público – the public car park
• los aparcamientos subterráneos – the underground car parks

A useful tip: nouns ending in -miento are almost always masculine in Spanish.