Log inSign up

El espejo está en el baño, estoy limpiándolo.

El espejo está en el baño, estoy limpiándolo.
The mirror is in the bathroom, I am cleaning it.
From Lesson 80:Pronoun placement with infinitives·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about El espejo está en el baño, estoy limpiándolo.

Why is lo attached to the end of limpiando?
In Spanish, direct object pronouns like lo (which means 'it' and refers to el espejo) can be attached directly to the end of a gerund. A gerund is the equivalent of an English '-ing' word, ending in -ando or -iendo. Here, limpiando plus lo becomes limpiándolo.
Why does limpiándolo have an accent mark when limpiando does not?
When you attach a pronoun to the end of a gerund, you add an extra syllable to the word. To keep the spoken stress on the exact same vowel as the original word (limpiando), you must add a written accent mark over that vowel. For -ando verbs, the accent always goes on the a.
Can I put the lo somewhere else in this sentence?
Yes! When you have a conjugated verb followed by a gerund (like estoy limpiando), you have two choices for where the pronoun goes. You can attach it to the end (estoy limpiándolo) or you can place it right before the conjugated verb (lo estoy limpiando). Both are perfectly natural and mean the same thing.
Why do we use está for the mirror instead of es?
This is a great reminder of the rules for ser versus estar. We use estar (está) because we are talking about the physical location of the mirror in the bathroom. Location always requires estar.

Learn El espejo está en el baño, estoy limpiándolo and more in Spanish

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Spanish →