¿Ustedes comen pastel para el almuerzo o para la cena?

Breakdown of ¿Ustedes comen pastel para el almuerzo o para la cena?

comer
to eat
ustedes
you (plural)
el almuerzo
lunch
para
for
o
or
el pastel
cake
la cena
dinner

Questions & Answers about ¿Ustedes comen pastel para el almuerzo o para la cena?

How does the word o work in this sentence?
o means "or". Just like in English, it is a conjunction that links two choices or possibilities together. Here, it asks you to choose when the cake is eaten: para el almuerzo (for lunch) o (or) para la cena (for dinner).
Do I have to repeat the word para after o?
You don't strictly have to! Saying para el almuerzo o la cena is perfectly fine and understood. However, repeating para (for) makes the two options sound more balanced and distinct, which is very common and natural in spoken Spanish.
Why is there an el and a la before the meals? In English we just say "for lunch".
Spanish loves its definite articles (the words for "the", like el and la). While English drops them when talking about having something "for lunch" or "for dinner", Spanish keeps them. So, you literally say "for the lunch" (para el almuerzo) and "for the dinner" (para la cena).
Why is the verb comen instead of comes?
Comes is for (informal singular "you"). Here, the subject is ustedes, which means "you all" or "you guys". In Latin American Spanish, ustedes always uses the exact same verb endings as "they" (ellos or ellas). For an -er verb like comer (to eat), that plural ending is -en.

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