Log inSign up

En la pescadería, la pescadera habla con mi madre sobre la cena de hoy.

En la pescadería, la pescadera habla con mi madre sobre la cena de hoy.
At the fish shop, the fishmonger talks with my mother about tonight’s dinner.
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Spanish grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Spanish now

Questions & Answers about En la pescadería, la pescadera habla con mi madre sobre la cena de hoy.

Why are pescadería and pescadera so similar, and what is the difference?

They are related words, but they mean different things:

  • la pescadería = the fish shop / fishmonger's
  • la pescadera = the fishmonger (here, a woman)

A very common pattern in Spanish is:

  • -ería for a shop or business
  • -ero / -era for a person connected with that trade

For example:

  • panadería = bakery
  • panadero / panadera = baker

So here:

  • En la pescadería = At/In the fish shop
  • la pescadera = the woman who works there / the fishmonger
Why does the sentence use en la pescadería instead of something like a la pescadería?

Because en here means in or at, and it tells you the location where the action happens.

  • En la pescadería = In/At the fish shop

If you said a la pescadería, that would usually suggest movement to the fish shop.

Compare:

  • Estoy en la pescadería. = I am at the fish shop.
  • Voy a la pescadería. = I am going to the fish shop.

So in your sentence, the speaker is describing where the conversation is taking place, not movement toward that place.

Why is it la pescadera habla and not está hablando?

Spanish often uses the simple present where English might use either the simple present or the present continuous.

  • habla = speaks / is speaking

So la pescadera habla con mi madre can naturally mean:

  • the fishmonger talks with my mother
  • the fishmonger is talking with my mother

Spanish does have estar + gerund:

  • está hablando

But it is usually used when you want to emphasize that the action is happening right now, in progress. In many ordinary sentences, the simple present is more natural.

Why is it habla con mi madre? Why use con?

Because the verb hablar commonly uses con to mean to talk with or to talk to someone.

  • hablar con alguien = to speak/talk with someone

Examples:

  • Hablo con mi amigo. = I’m talking to my friend.
  • Ella habla con el profesor. = She is talking with the teacher.

You may also see hablar de or hablar sobre, but those mean to talk about something, not to talk to someone.

So:

  • habla con mi madre = talks with/to my mother
  • sobre la cena de hoy = about tonight’s meal / today’s dinner
What is the difference between sobre and de here? Could it be habla de la cena de hoy?

Yes, habla de la cena de hoy would also be possible.

Both can mean about, but there is a slight tendency:

  • hablar de = the most common, general way to say talk about
  • hablar sobre = often feels a little more explicit or formal, like speak about / discuss

So:

  • habla de la cena de hoy
  • habla sobre la cena de hoy

Both are correct. In everyday conversation, de is often more common, but sobre is perfectly natural.

Why is it mi madre and not la mi madre or la madre mía?

In standard Spanish, possessive adjectives like mi, tu, su, nuestro usually come directly before the noun, without an article.

So:

  • mi madre = my mother
  • tu casa = your house
  • su coche = his/her car

You do not normally say la mi madre in standard modern Spanish.

There are structures like la madre mía, but those are different and much less common in ordinary neutral speech. For a basic sentence like this, mi madre is exactly what you want.

Why is there no personal a before mi madre?

Because mi madre is not the direct object here.

The personal a is used before a specific human direct object:

  • Veo a mi madre. = I see my mother.

But in this sentence, mi madre comes after the preposition con:

  • habla con mi madre

Since con is already the preposition needed by the phrase, there is no extra personal a.

So:

  • Veo a mi madre → personal a
  • Hablo con mi madre → con, not personal a
Why is it la cena de hoy and not just hoy cena or la cena hoy?

Because de hoy is a very natural Spanish way to mean for today / today’s.

  • la cena de hoy = today’s dinner / tonight’s dinner

Spanish often uses de + time expression where English may use an apostrophe or an adjective-like structure:

  • el partido de mañana = tomorrow’s match
  • la reunión de hoy = today’s meeting
  • el menú de esta noche = tonight’s menu

la cena hoy is not the normal structure here.

Also, hoy cena would mean something very different if taken as a clause:

  • hoy cena = he/she has dinner today

So la cena de hoy is the correct noun phrase.

Why does Spanish use la before pescadería, pescadera, and cena? English often leaves the out.

Spanish uses definite articles more often than English.

Here:

  • la pescadería = the fish shop
  • la pescadera = the fishmonger
  • la cena de hoy = today’s dinner / the dinner for today

Even when English might sound more natural without the, Spanish often still needs the article.

For example:

  • Voy a la escuela. = I go to school.
  • Me duele la cabeza. = My head hurts.
  • En la cena hablamos mucho. = We talked a lot at dinner.

So the articles here are normal and expected.

Why is the sentence order En la pescadería, la pescadera habla...? Could it start with La pescadera habla...?

Yes, both are possible.

  • En la pescadería, la pescadera habla con mi madre...
  • La pescadera habla con mi madre en la pescadería...

Spanish word order is fairly flexible compared with English. Starting with En la pescadería puts the location first, as a kind of setting or scene:

At the fish shop, the fishmonger is talking with my mother...

This is very natural. The comma helps show that the opening location phrase is being set off from the rest of the sentence.

Is madre more formal than mamá? Why use mi madre here?

Yes, generally:

  • mi madre = my mother
  • mi mamá = my mum / my mom

Madre is neutral and common.
Mamá is more affectionate and more like what you might say in family conversation.

So in a standard example sentence, mi madre is very natural.

Compare:

  • La pescadera habla con mi madre. = neutral
  • La pescadera habla con mi mamá. = also correct, a bit more personal/familiar

In Spain, mamá is common in speech, but madre is still very common in neutral statements.

How would this sentence sound in Peninsular Spanish pronunciation, especially the c and z sounds?

In most of Spain, c before e or i, and z, are pronounced with the th sound of think.

So you would typically hear:

  • pescadería → the c before a is a normal k sound
  • cena → the c before e is pronounced like th
  • pescadera → again, the c before a is k

So in Spain:

  • cena sounds roughly like THAY-na (depending on accent)

This is one of the main pronunciation differences learners notice between Spain and much of Latin America, where c before e/i is usually pronounced like s.

Why do pescadería and día have accent marks?

The accent marks show where the stress goes.

  • pescadería → stress on rí
  • día → stress on dí

Without the written accent, the words would be stressed differently according to normal spelling rules.

This matters especially in día, because the accent also helps show that í-a are pronounced in separate syllables:

  • dí-a

So:

  • pescadería = pes-ca-de-RÍ-a
  • día = DÍ-a

Accent marks in Spanish are very useful because they tell you how to pronounce the word correctly.

Could sobre la cena de hoy mean talking about the act of eating dinner, or the evening meal itself?

In this sentence, la cena de hoy most naturally means today’s dinner / tonight’s meal.

The noun cena can mean:

  • dinner / supper as a meal
  • sometimes the dinner event itself

Here, in a fish shop, it strongly suggests they are talking about what they will eat for dinner today, probably what fish to buy or prepare.

So the phrase is understood as the meal for today, not just the general concept of dining.