Word
No metas la sopa en el congelador hasta que esté menos caliente.
Meaning
Don’t put the soup in the freezer until it is less hot.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of No metas la sopa en el congelador hasta que esté menos caliente.
en
in
estar
to be
meter
to put
la sopa
the soup
Questions & Answers about No metas la sopa en el congelador hasta que esté menos caliente.
Why is it no metas and not no metes?
Because this is a negative command addressed to tú: Don't put...
In Spanish, negative tú commands use the present subjunctive, not the normal present tense.
- meter = to put / to place in
- tú metes = you put
- no metas = don't put
Compare:
- Mete la sopa... = Put the soup...
- No metas la sopa... = Don't put the soup...
So metas is the correct command form here.
Why is it esté and not está?
Because hasta que often takes the subjunctive when it refers to something that has not happened yet.
Here, the soup is still hot, and the speaker is talking about a future point:
Since that state is still pending, Spanish uses the subjunctive:
- esté rather than está
This is very common:
- Espera hasta que llegue. = Wait until he/she arrives.
- No salgas hasta que termine. = Don't go out until it finishes / until I finish.
What exactly does mean here?