La dependienta dijo que la suela de esos zapatos dura más que la de los zapatos baratos.

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Breakdown of La dependienta dijo que la suela de esos zapatos dura más que la de los zapatos baratos.

• que: that
• decir: to say
• barato: cheap

Questions & Answers about La dependienta dijo que la suela de esos zapatos dura más que la de los zapatos baratos.

Why does the sentence start with La dependienta instead of just Dependienta?

Because Spanish normally uses an article in front of a noun when you mean the person or thing in general context.

• La dependienta = the shop assistant / the saleswoman
• Saying just Dependienta would usually sound incomplete here.

In Spanish, articles are used more often than in English, so La dependienta dijo... is the natural way to say The shop assistant said...

Also, dependienta is feminine. The masculine form is dependiente.

What exactly does dependienta mean?

Dependienta means shop assistant, saleswoman, or female store clerk.

In Spain, dependiente / dependienta is a very common word for someone who works serving customers in a shop.

So:

• el dependiente = male shop assistant
• la dependienta = female shop assistant

Why is it dijo?

Dijo is the preterite form of decir (to say / to tell):

• yo digo = I say
• ella dice = she says
• ella dijo = she said

The sentence is reporting something the shop assistant said at a specific moment in the past, so dijo is the natural tense.