Breakdown of Antes de ir a la frutería, hace falta que mires qué queda en la nevera.
Questions & Answers about Antes de ir a la frutería, hace falta que mires qué queda en la nevera.
Because antes de is the fixed expression meaning before when it is followed by a noun or an infinitive.
- antes de ir = before going
- antes de comer = before eating
- antes de la clase = before class
So in Spanish, you need the de here.
A useful contrast:
- Antes de ir a la frutería... = Before going to the fruit shop...
- Antes de que vayas a la frutería... = Before you go to the fruit shop...
The first uses an infinitive; the second uses a conjugated verb with que.
Because the verb ir normally uses a before a destination:
- ir a casa = to go home
- ir al supermercado = to go to the supermarket
- ir a la frutería = to go to the fruit shop
So a is the normal preposition after ir when saying where someone goes.
Frutería is a shop that sells fruit, and often vegetables as well depending on the place. In Spain, it usually means a small produce shop rather than a full supermarket.
A native English speaker might think of:
- fruit shop
- greengrocer's
- produce shop
In Spain, frutería is a very common everyday word.
In Spanish, places like shops and public destinations often take the definite article.
So Spanish naturally says:
- voy a la panadería
- voy a la farmacia
- voy a la frutería
Even though English often says to the bakery / to the pharmacy / to the fruit shop, Spanish usually keeps that article too. Leaving it out here would sound wrong.
Hace falta que means something like:
- it is necessary that...
- you need to...
- it’s important that...
In this sentence, it introduces a need or requirement.
Compare:
- Hace falta que mires... = You need to look...
- Hay que mirar... = One has to look / It’s necessary to look
- Tienes que mirar... = You have to look
So hace falta que is a little less direct than tienes que, but it still expresses necessity.
Because hace falta que triggers the subjunctive.
So:
- hace falta que mires ✔
- hace falta que miras ✘
This happens because the main clause expresses necessity, recommendation, emotion, doubt, or influence—situations where Spanish often uses the subjunctive in the following clause.
Here, mires is the present subjunctive of mirar.
Quick pattern:
- Es importante que estudies
- Quiero que vengas
- Hace falta que mires
All of those use the subjunctive.
Yes, but the structure changes slightly.
- Hace falta que mires qué queda en la nevera = You need to check what’s left in the fridge
- Hace falta mirar qué queda en la nevera = It’s necessary to check what’s left in the fridge
Both are correct, but:
- hace falta que mires addresses you more directly
- hace falta mirar sounds more general or impersonal
So the original sentence focuses more on the listener’s action.
Here queda means remains or is left.
So qué queda en la nevera means:
- what is left in the fridge
- what remains in the fridge
It is not exactly the same as qué hay en la nevera.
Compare:
- qué hay en la nevera = what is in the fridge
- qué queda en la nevera = what is left in the fridge
The second suggests that some things may already have been used, eaten, or removed.
Because qué queda en la nevera is treated as an embedded question about a real state of affairs: what remains in the fridge.
So the sentence has:
- hace falta que mires → subjunctive after hace falta que
- qué queda en la nevera → indicative, because it refers to what actually remains
This is very common in Spanish. The verb in the main dependent clause may be subjunctive, while the verb inside an indirect question stays indicative.
Mires is the present subjunctive of mirar.
The full present subjunctive forms are:
- yo mire
- tú mires
- él/ella/usted mire
- nosotros miremos
- vosotros miréis
- ellos/ellas/ustedes miren
In the sentence, the implied subject is tú, so mires means you look/check in the subjunctive.
Spanish often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the subject.
So:
- hace falta que mires = you need to look
- hace falta que tú mires = also possible, but more emphatic
You would usually only include tú if you want contrast or emphasis, for example:
- Hace falta que tú mires la nevera, no tu hermano.
In a neutral sentence, leaving out tú is the most natural choice.
Both mean fridge / refrigerator.
In Spain:
- nevera is very common in everyday speech
- frigorífico is also correct, but can sound a bit more formal or technical depending on context
So these are both natural:
- en la nevera
- en el frigorífico
In casual spoken Spanish, nevera is extremely common.
Because Antes de ir a la frutería is an introductory clause placed before the main clause.
So the structure is:
- Antes de ir a la frutería, = introductory time expression
- hace falta que mires qué queda en la nevera = main clause
The comma helps readability and is standard here. In short sentences, some commas are flexible in informal writing, but in a sentence like this, the comma is natural and recommended.
Not usually. When the subject is the same, Spanish often uses antes de + infinitive.
Example with same subject:
- Antes de ir a la frutería, mira la nevera.
- The same person does both actions.
But if the subject changes, Spanish often uses antes de que + subjunctive:
- Antes de que vayas a la frutería, miraré la nevera.
- Antes de que mamá vaya a la frutería, tenemos que revisar lo que queda.
So:
- same subject → antes de + infinitive
- different subject → antes de que + subjunctive
Mirar here means to look at / check. It suggests actively examining the contents of the fridge.
- mirar qué queda en la nevera = check what’s left in the fridge
You could sometimes hear ver in similar contexts:
- a ver qué queda en la nevera
- ver qué queda en la nevera
But mirar feels very natural when talking about checking something practically before shopping. It implies a deliberate action rather than just perception.