Question 1

Why is there no word for "at" after mira?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, the verb mirar means "to look at" or "to watch." The English word "at" is already built into the meaning, so you do not need to add an extra word for it.

Question 2

Why is the word for black (negra) placed after the door (puerta)?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, descriptive words (adjectives) usually come after the thing they describe. So instead of the English word order, the sentence essentially says the door black (la puerta negra).

Question 3

Why is it negra instead of negro?

Accepted Answer

Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because puerta is a feminine noun—which we can see from the word la—the adjective negro changes to its feminine form, negra.

Question 4

Since the current lesson is about estar, could we use it here to say the boy is looking?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can use estar to say está mirando (he is looking right now). However, Spanish uses the simple present tense (mira) much more often than English to mean both he looks and he is looking.

Question 5

If we wanted to say the door is black, would we use ser or estar?

Accepted Answer

You would use ser and say la puerta es negra because the permanent color of the door is an essential trait. You would only use estar to say la puerta está negra if you were describing a temporary state, such as the door being temporarily covered in black soot.

El niño mira la puerta negra.

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