Breakdown of Un chico preguntó si el físico es importante para un hombre apasionado.
ser
to be
un
a, an (masculine)
el hombre
the man
el chico
the boy (older / teenager)
importante
important
para
for
preguntar
to ask
si
if
el físico
physique
apasionado
passionate
Questions & Answers about Un chico preguntó si el físico es importante para un hombre apasionado.
Why does the sentence use the present tense es after a past tense reporting verb (preguntó)? Shouldn't it be era?
Normally, yes! When reporting something asked in the past, the present tense usually shifts to the imperfect (like era). However, you can keep the present tense (es) if the statement is a general truth, a universal fact, or something that is still true right now. Because the guy was asking a general question about life, es is perfectly natural here.
Why is there no accent mark on si in this sentence?
Without an accent mark, si means "if" or "whether". We use it to report yes/no questions (like "He asked if..."). If it had an accent mark (sí), it would mean "yes".
Does el físico strictly mean a muscular "physique"?
It can refer to a person's bodily build, but in everyday Latin American Spanish, el físico is widely used to mean a person's general "looks" or "physical appearance."
Why do we need the article el before físico when the English translation just says "physique"?
In Spanish, when you talk about a concept, idea, or general category as the subject of a sentence, you must include the definite article (el, la, los, las). English usually drops the "the" for general concepts, but Spanish requires it.
Why is it para un hombre instead of por un hombre?
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