Breakdown of La toalla está limpia, puedes usarla.
estar
to be (location/state)
limpio
clean
usar
to use / to wear
poder
to be able to / can
la
it / her (direct object)
la toalla
the towel
Questions & Answers about La toalla está limpia, puedes usarla.
Why is la attached to the end of usar in usarla? Can I say la puedes usar instead?
Yes! In Spanish, when you have a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive (an unconjugated verb like usar), you have two choices for where to put the object pronoun. You can attach it directly to the end of the infinitive (puedes usarla) or place it right before the conjugated verb (la puedes usar). Both options are very common and mean the exact same thing.
Why does the sentence use la for "it" instead of lo?
In Spanish, the pronoun for "it" must match the gender of the noun it replaces. Because "it" refers back to la toalla, which is a feminine noun, we must use the feminine direct object pronoun la. If you were talking about a masculine object, like a plate (el plato), you would use lo instead (puedes usarlo).
Why do we use está for "is" instead of es?
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