Learn Spanish (Latin America): El líder dice que el error en el acuerdo es grave. - The leader says that the mistake in the agreement is serious.

El líder dice que el error en el acuerdo es grave.

The leader says that the mistake in the agreement is serious.

Breakdown of El líder dice que el error en el acuerdo es grave.

Questions & Answers about El líder dice que el error en el acuerdo es grave.

Why do we use que here? In English, I would just say 'The leader says the mistake is serious.'

In English, we often leave out the connecting word 'that' in sentences like this. In Spanish, you can never drop it. You must always use que to connect the two parts of the sentence: dice que (says that).

Why do we use es instead of está for 'is serious'?

We use es (from the verb ser) because being serious is a fundamental trait or characteristic of this specific mistake, not a temporary condition or mood.

Does grave mean the same thing as the English word 'grave'?

Yes, they are related! While 'grave' in English often makes us think of a cemetery, as an adjective it means 'serious' or 'severe'. In Spanish, grave is the standard everyday word used to describe a serious mistake, a severe illness, or a bad situation.

Is dice a regular verb?

No, dice comes from the highly irregular verb decir (to say). It is an 'e-to-i' stem-changing verb in the present tense, which is why the 'e' in decir changes to an 'i' for dice (he/she says).

Where does the word acuerdo come from?